Human-animal Conflict in Kerala

Context: Amid farm losses and fragmented habitats, Kerala struggles to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

Reason for Human-animal Conflict in the region:

Densely populated human settlements near protected forests, with many farm lands in proximity of wild habitats.
Lack of agricultural produce inside the forest.
Changing crop patterns: Banana and cashew trees were not traditionally cultivated in these areas are cultivated now
Fragmentation of wildlife: Elephants were long-range animals, but they are currently confined to small patches of forest due to fragmentation.
The inappropriate disposal of biowaste: which draws not only monkeys but also other wild animals. They might multiply once there is an abundance of food.
Poor compensation for crop failure:
165 rupee per cashew tree, which is nothing near proportional to the labour of a farmer and yield market.
Only those who have insured their crops under the scheme are eligible to apply.

Steps taken:

Forest department’s scheme for voluntary relocation in Kannur district.
Tried different methods to drive animals away, such as toy snakes, beehives and dry fish.
In the upcoming budget, the administration has plans to increase funding for the agricultural sector in response to farmer concerns about compensation.
The forest department installed palmyra biofencing on the forest periphery.

Kottiyoor wildlife sanctuary:

Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Kottiyoor village in Kannur district of Kerala.
The Kottiyoor wildlife sanctuary shares its boundaries with the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, and the Wayanad and Aralam wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala.
Forests in the sanctuary include evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, deciduous forests and grasslands.
The Bavali River, a tributary of Valapattanam River flows through the boundaries of the sanctuary.