Assessing the patterns of human-wildlife Conflict and mitigation strategies in and around Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India.

Chirag Girdhar, M.Sc.

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Success stories in Indian conservation also carry opportunity costs in the form of human-wildlife conflicts, especially for people living in close proximity to wildlife. In India, human-wildlife conflict is a serious challenge to wildlife conservation, which needs a much-improved scientific and social understanding. In this study, we assess the patterns of HWC, people’s perception of conflict, and compensation which is the key factor in protecting wildlife in the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary using suitable mitigation measures. Secondary data on HWC that had taken place during the past 7 years across the entire landscape were collated from the records of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. A questionnaire survey was carried out in 2018 by the Wildlife Institute of India to gather information on the HWC and the socio-economic status of communities around NWS. A total of 799 incidents of livestock depredation and 274 incidents of crop-raiding were recorded from 45 villages in and around NL during the period from January 2013 to April 2019. Most of the incidents of livestock depredation involved leopards (40.8 %) followed by tigers (33.6 %). In the entire landscape, livestock depredation and crop damage incidents are much higher during the monsoon compared to winter and summer. Early warning systems were deployed to protect vulnerable villages adjoining NWS and this resulted in a 90 % decrease in crop depredation by elephants. The cattle compensation policy of the UKFD is quite effective, and all the compensation in all the cases of human injuries, deaths, and cattle kill cases up to March 2019 has been paid to the individual’s beneficiaries in the NL.

Keywords

crop-raiding, livestock depredation, Tigers, Leopards, Elephants, human-wildlife conflict, Nandhaur Landscape

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 22. 4. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karolína Brandlová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / specializace:
Wildlife and Livestock Production, Management and Conservation / Wildlife Management and Conservation