Crop Damage due to Wild Animal Attacks

 

The protection and management of wildlife, including human-wildlife conflict management, is primarily the responsibility of the State/Union Territory Governments. The Ministry does not collate details of losses caused to farmers' crops by wild animals.

 The important steps taken by Government for protection of wildlife and to safeguard crops from wild animals include the following:

 The Centrally Sponsored Schemes of 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats', 'Project Tiger' and ’Project Elephant' for managing wildlife and its habitats in the country. It includes compensation for depredation by wild animals including cattle lifting, crop damage, loss of life and property.

1. The activities supported under the Schemes inter alia include construction /erection of physical barriers, such as barbed wire fence, solar powered electric fences, bio-fencing using cactus, boundary walls etc. to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop fields; improvement of wildlife habitat of wild animals by augmenting the availability of food and water in forest areas to reduce the entry of animals from forests to habitations and setting up of anti-depredation squads to drive away problematic animals. State Governments also provide relief from their own funds for damage to crops by wild animals.
2. The Ministry has enhanced the amount of ex-gratia relief in case of death or permanent incapacitation due to wild animal attacks during December 2023. At present the amount of ex-gratia relief payable under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes – ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’, ‘Project Tiger and Elephant’ is as follows:

    

4. The Wild Life (Protection) Act empowers the Chief Wild Life Warden for capture and translocation of wild animals to alternate suitable habitats as part of scientific management of wildlife.

 Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh provided this information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.