Staff REPORTER
Itanagar, Mar 6: Replying to a private member’s resolution moved by Kumar Waii in the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly seeking urgent measures to strengthen wildlife protection and mitigate human-wildlife conflict, Forest Minister Wangki Lowang on Friday informed the House that the state government has already adopted a comprehensive and multi-pronged strategy to address the growing challenge.
Lowang said Arunachal Pradesh, with nearly 80 percent forest cover, forms a vital part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and supports several globally significant wildlife species. The state has a Protected Area Network of about 9,779 sq km, including 13 wildlife sanctuaries, two national parks, three tiger and elephant reserves, two elephant reserves, nine community reserves and one biosphere reserve.
He said human-wildlife conflict has been increasing due to habitat fragmentation, loss of wildlife corridors, seasonal movement of animals such as elephants and bears, and climate variability affecting food and water availability in forests.
The minister stated that the government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to mitigate conflicts, including strengthening rapid response teams, deployment of veterinary units, installation of camera traps, community-based prevention measures and inter-state coordination for managing migratory wildlife.
Lowang further informed that compensation mechanisms for crop damage, livestock loss and human casualties are being streamlined to provide timely relief to affected families. He added that several conservation initiatives are being implemented under centrally sponsored schemes such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats and CAMPA for habitat restoration and corridor management.
Emphasising the need for community participation, the minister said awareness programmes and local involvement remain key to ensuring long-term coexistence between humans and wildlife in the state. He said long-term reduction of conflict would require sustained investment in community-based prevention, rapid response capacity, transparent compensation mechanisms and landscape-level planning to secure wildlife corridors.
While noting that the government has already put in place several measures to tackle the issue, Lowang said, “In view of the comprehensive measures already in place, there is no apparent need or justification for adopting the resolution,” and suggested that the matter could be examined in greater detail by a committee of the House.
Intervening in the discussion, Deputy Speaker Kardo Nyigyor, who was in the Chair, assured the members that a House Committee would be constituted to study the pressing issue of human-wildlife conflict in the state and submit its report to the Speaker for further discussion in the House.
Earlier, the senior Congress member Kumar Waii while raising the pressing issue of human-wildlife conflict suggested creating a Wildlife Protection Force and framing of a strong policy to put a curb of wildlife destruction.
BJP members Dr Mohesh Chai, Honchun Ngandam and Wanglin Lowangdong also supported the private member’s resolution, expressing serious concern over rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict and the need for stronger wildlife protection in the state. They pointed out that Arunachal Pradesh has, in the recent past, lost an ex-MLA and two policemen due to increasing incidents of human-wildlife conflict.