Weeklong Training Expedition on “Holistic Approach to Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation in India” at Karnataka

28 Sep, 2019

A one-week training expedition on “Holistic Approach to Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation in India” was organised at Madikeri, Kodagu in Karnataka from 22 to 27 Sept 2019. The training was organised jointly by GIZ, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Forest Departments of Karnataka, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Participants included officers from Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, technical experts from GIZ and WII, communication and media experts.

Day 1: After the introductory session on the context and discussions on expected outcomes, the participants visited the Dubare Elephant Camp where Dr. Mujeeb Rahman, Sr. Veterinary Officer, Mr Ranjan DRFO and other officers shared the process and methods for planning and implementation of capture operations and post-capture management of elephants. Participants spent focused time on observing and brainstorming on 'Kraals' and 'Kumki' elephants for human-elephant conflict mitigation operations.

In the afternoon, Mr. Maria Christu Raja, DCF Virajpet shared the overall concept and strategies on human-wildlife conflict mitigation in the Kodagu division including the early warning system using the latest technology, community participation, and the use of different types of barriers. This merged into a brainstorming session where the participants discussed key challenges in implementing effective HWC mitigation measures and identified specific measures and issues where they would like to focus to look for solutions.

Day 2: The group visited different locations in Madikeri and Virajpet divisions of Kodagu to observe and discuss the structure and impact of the 'hanging fence' or "tentacle fencing" being used in Kodagu as a very effective preventive method. The group received information on the fence from Mr. Maria Christu Raja, DCF Virajpet and Mr. Manjunath- Kushal Nagar, and also met with the Rapid Response Team (RRT).

The afternoon focused on understanding the private sector engagement in mitigation measures. Participants visited TATA Coffee Limited (TCL) and interacted with Mr. K. Karthik of TCL to understand their strategy and implementation for mitigating conflict in their estates and neighbouring areas.

The evening session covered two key aspects: HWC Management Action Plan at division level, where the participants started work in their respective landscape groups. The other key issue was engaging with media, where Mr Ramesh Menon, Senior Media Professional facilitated discussion and provided key pointers for developing media strategy. The day ended with a fish-bowl discussion on media engagement.

Day 3: The participants visited sites in and around Nagarahole Tiger Reserve to observe and discuss the structure and impact of rail barricades, and the customized rail barricade along with the Hanging fencing from Sh. Paul Anthony, ACF NTR, Dr. Mujeebur Rahman, Assistant Surgeon, NTR and Sh. M M Jaya.

Participants also discussed the fire management practices at NTR briefly

Another focus of the day was discussion on the basic technical issues in immuno-contraception, its effects and pros and cons. The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Sanath Muliya, Project Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India.

The day ended with the participants planning towards their group work on HWC Management Action Plans.

The final day of the training expedition started with the groups preparing the HWC Management Action Plans (MAP) for four landscapes – Rajaji Landscape, Corbett Landscape, South Bengal landscape and North Bengal Landscape. The participants brainstormed and shared knowledge and information in a Knowledge Cafe to further elaborate the outline of the MAP developed by the project.

Participants also worked on thematic topics of their selection, in groups. The topics covered key aspects in human wildlife conflict mitigation in India, and the participants worked towards finding answers to the overarching questions covering these topics.

The concluding session of the Training Expedition was organised in the evening, where Mr. Soumitra Dasgupta, IGF (WL) MoEFCC, Mr. Natesh, CCF Kodagu and Mr. Roy P. Thomas, Former Joint Director, MoEFCC joined the participants for learning about their experiences and providing their guidance. Mr. Dasgupta provided an overview of the HWC situation in India and the key initiatives taken by MoEFCC for mitigating HWC, including the Indo-German Cooperation on HWC Mitigation and the expectations from the Project in facilitating the development of field-tested National guidelines and SOPs and capacity development of key stakeholders.

The participants shared their landscape level HWC Management Action Plans in this session followed by an engaged discussion by all on the way forward.

The training expedition ended with a certificate distribution by Mr. Soumitra Dasgupta, Mr. Natesh, Mr. Roy P. Thomas and Dr Neeraj Khera.