Mitigating human-wildlife conflicts through planning interventions: a case of Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Human-Wildlife Conflicts are the interactions between man and animal that hamper the physical and mental abilities of both human and wildlife populations. Such conflicts have prevailed since time immemorial, majorly over the use of natura resources. The adverse impacts of these conflicts on social and economic wellbeing of human society are inevitable. Such concerns have framed human-wildlife conflicts as a global affair. The study seeks to identify, analyze, and discuss the cause and impact of human-wildlife conflicts in Pilibhit, a city in Uttar Pradesh. The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve inhabiting a large population of tigers is also infamous for the high number of human and tiger deaths in the villages nearby, merely in last two years. To understand the relationship between city growth pattern, economic and social factors and the magnitude of human-wildlife conflicts, several case studies are reviewed. Through this literature review and the primary survey conducted in the area, the probable causes of human-wildlife conflicts in Pilibhit are determined. Since, stakeholder consultation is an unavoidable part of the exercise, several people were consulted regarding the fatal and destructive nature of conflicts. One of the crucial components of the study is to understand the attitude and perception of villagers towards protection of wildlife and biodiversity conservation. Moreover, the primary and secondary survey also framed community dependence on forest resources as a major cause of increasing incidents of conflicts and hence form an important part of the study. The findings from the literature review and data analysis were adopted to suggest interventions to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in Pilibhit. The importance of Central and State Governments, and their legislative or legal responsibilities are also highlighted in mitigating the issue. The key problems of city growth pattern and community dependence are looked into to provide recommendations for the same. Policy level strategies and interventions are of utter importance in this case where critical wildlife species is involved along with rich biodiversity of the Terai region in the foothills of Himalayas. Hence, through a framework of policies and spatial planning, the issue of human-wildlife conflicts in Pilibhit is minimized.