Human-Wildlife Conflict: State Initiatives, Union Budget Gaps, and Environmental Governance
Vaidra Editorial
This article is crucial for UPSC as it highlights a pressing environmental and socio-economic issue: human-wildlife conflict (HWC). It underscores the disparity in policy and funding between the Union and State governments, making it relevant for GS Paper 3 (Environment, Conservation, Disaster Management) and GS Paper 2 (Federalism, Government Policies and Interventions). Kerala's proactive alloca
This article is crucial for UPSC as it highlights a pressing environmental and socio-economic issue: human-wildlife conflict (HWC). It underscores the disparity in policy and funding between the Union and State governments, making it relevant for GS Paper 3 (Environment, Conservation, Disaster Management) and GS Paper 2 (Federalism, Government Policies and Interventions). Kerala's proactive allocation of ₹29 crore and establishment of wildlife rescue facilities demonstrates state-level commitment and innovative solutions to a shared problem. This contrasts with the perceived 'ignorance' in the Union Budget, illustrating inter-governmental fiscal tensions in environmental governance. The issue of HWC is multi-dimensional, involving ecological balance, livelihood security of local communities, and the effective implementation of conservation strategies. Stakeholders include the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, State Forest Departments, local communities residing near wildlife habitats, and wildlife conservation organizations. Understanding this dynamic is key to analyzing India's environmental policy framework and its implementation challenges.
Directly relevant to GS Paper 3 (Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment) and GS Paper 2 (Issues relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources; Issues relating to Poverty and Hunger). Previous year questions have often touched upon wildlife conservation, man-animal conflict, and sustainable development. Expected questions could involve analyzing the reasons for increasing HWC, evaluating different mitigation strategies, discussing the role of local communities in conservation, or examining inter-state/Centre-State cooperation in environmental protection. Aspirants should be familiar with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and various conservation projects.
This topic is highly relevant for Mains in GS Paper 3 (Environment and Ecology, Conservation, Disaster Management) and GS Paper 2 (Federalism, Government Policies). It can be used to discuss challenges in environmental governance, the role of states in conservation, the need for integrated approaches to HWC, and the implications of fiscal federalism on environmental policy. Aspirants can use Kerala's example to illustrate successful state-level interventions or to critique the Union government's environmental priorities. Example question: 'Discuss the multi-faceted challenges posed by human-wildlife conflict in India and critically evaluate the efficacy of current mitigation strategies, both at the Union and State levels, citing recent examples.'