Kerala's human-wildlife conflict panel draws flak over composition

The Kerala government's newly constituted seven-member State-level Advisory Committee on human-wildlife conflict mitigation has run into criticism from environmental and animal rights groups, which say its composition falls short of the specialist expertise the task demands.

The panel, set up on a proposal from the State Forest and Wildlife department, includes conservationist M.K. Ranjitsinh, MLA I.C. Balakrishnan, hotelier Michael Dominic of Casino Hotel in Kochi, former Chief Forest Veterinary Officer Arun Zachariah, Jose Jacob, managing director of Home Grown Nursery and Farms in Kanjirappally, Anand Kumar, a senior scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysuru, and Baiju Paul Mathews, who has been associated with the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA).

Critics argue the committee has no adequate place for Adivasi communities or traditional forest-dwelling farmers who bear the brunt of wildlife-related conflict, nor for conservationists, scientists, biologists, animal behaviour experts or NGOs with hands-on experience in the field.

The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) questioned the criteria used to pick members, pointing to the inclusion of individuals it said had no experience of dealing with human-wildlife conflict. Its president, N. Badusha, called Mr. Ranjitsinh a prominent wildlife conservationist but contended that he had been brought in largely as a figurehead to lend the panel credibility.

"Several scientists, biologists and experts in Keralam who have studied human-wildlife conflict and advised the government on the issue have been left out," Mr. Badusha said, describing the committee as an exercise to create an impression of action rather than one likely to yield meaningful recommendations. He also alleged that at least one member had shown hostility towards forests and wildlife and could aggravate tensions.

M.N. Jayachandran, animal rights activist and State president of the Samasrishti Federation of Animal Rights Organisations of Kerala, said the panel's makeup could worsen rather than ease the conflict. He claimed some members had backed the killing of wild animals as a way of tackling the problem, and said the Chief Minister should look into the matter rather than accept the Forest Minister's position at face value.

The Animal and Nature Ethics Community (ANEC) Trust specifically questioned Mr. Mathews's inclusion, citing his alleged opposition to the Forest and Wildlife department. Its legal representative, T.S. Santhosh, said the public was unaware of the contributions of some panel members to conflict management and that only those with a proven track record should have been chosen for so sensitive a mandate. The trust has sought an immediate reconstitution of the panel with field experts.

Mr. Mathews, who has previously filed complaints about the actions of Forest department officers, said he hoped to bring a balanced perspective to the issue. He said he had conducted scientific studies on human-animal conflict and submitted recommendations to the Kerala High Court as the court suggested, and that this work may have led to his inclusion. His aim, he said, was to help farmers cultivate their land and allow people in the hilly regions to live without fear, while ensuring wild animals have the space and opportunity to survive.

KIFA chairperson Alex Ozhukayil confirmed that Mr. Mathews is a member of the organisation but said he was not representing it in any official capacity and had joined the advisory committee in his individual capacity.

Chief Wildlife Warden P. Pugazhendi did not immediately respond to the criticism.