Competence Development of Rapid Response Teams on using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for HWC mitigation in Uttarakhand

24 Dec, 2020

A two-day training was jointly organised by the Indo-German Project on “Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC)” in India and the Uttarakhand Forest Department at Motichur, Uttarakhand from 23-24 December 2020. A total 20 participants from Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Haridwar and Dehradun divisions participated in the training.

Day One: Sessions focused on how drones came into the system, laws governing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), various categories of UAVs, type of drones, things to keep in mind when using a drone, equipment required during drone flight, safety measures, Standard Operating Procedures, maintenance, hardware, software and applications. Post-lunch sessions focused on field operations and individual hands-on training.

Day Two: Morning sessions focused on a recap of day one. The technical sessions focused on using UAVs for Wildlife Conflict Management and the kind of data it needs. Field training was conducted at Motichur and tasks given to the participants focused on finding the target and taking photos of targeted trees. The post-lunch interactive session was organized to address the queries of the participants. UAV Maintenance and safety of the UAV were also discussed.

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About the project

The Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC) project implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and State Forest Departments of Karnataka, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, aims at providing technical support at the national level, and effective implementation of HWC mitigation measures in selected states of India. The project pilot sites are: Haridwar Forest Division and adjoining landscape including Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, Gorumara Wildlife Division in West Bengal, and Kodagu Forest Circle in Karnataka.

The main objective of the project is that the rural population in project areas, where agreed guidelines and tools are applied to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, is better protected against it. The project takes the approach of harmonious coexistence, by ensuring that both—human and wildlife—are protected from conflict. Read more

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de