HUMAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT AND THE BIODIVERSITY IN THE INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

India is a biodiversity-rich country where a large number of species of flora, fauna and aquatic animals exist from the time immemorial. Not only that but also, the discovery of new species in any of these living beings comes into the knowledge domain of humans. All such creatures live and lead their life in their own ecosystems. Apparently, there is enough space for them to move around and thrive without lets and hindrances by other living beings. In contrast to aquatic bodies like the rivers, seas and the oceans, the areas of forests and green cover are not the same. The situation has changed drastically during the last fifty years or so due to rapid demographic changes. The gradual spurt in human population has made inroads into the safe precincts of forest areas which has been the natural abode of wildlife including flora and fauna. In order to accommodate the swelling human population, the systematic cutting and thinning of forests began causing danger to the wildlife habitats. The jungles were not only cut for the purpose of habitations but also for other allied purposes such as agriculture, industrial, commercial and many more. Resultantly, the area under the wildlife population began to decline by leaps and bounds within a short time. Moreover, this process made the entry of poachers into the forests much easier. Hence, the wildlife, especially the predators and other big animals, have to look around for food and fodder purposes. They were forced to move outside their naturally-designated territory to the adjacent human habitats. This phenomenon gave birth to human-animal conflict which has assumed larger proportions in the current times. The Ministry of Forests and Environment has delineated a number of dwelling places for the wild animals in the form of national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves in India which are legally deemed to be protected areas for any specific animal or the wild animals in general. However, in spite of the large presence of these animal habitats, the incidents of human-animal conflicts are increasing day by day and that is a cause of concern for all. There seems to be the two main reasons for this unending phenomenon: first, the area under the animal habitation has shrunken grossly, and secondly, the human habitats have come up in the close vicinity of forest areas. As a result, when the wild animals don't get sufficient food in the forest area, they go outside in search of food, and find themselves in front of human adversaries. This paper tries to analyze the various causes of human-animal conflict and the role of biodiversity in enhancing it. Some possible solutions have also been suggested for resolving the cantankerous issue at present.