Coimbatore Collector: Joint action, swift response key to tackling human-wildlife conflict

Coordination among government departments, faster response times and wider use of technology are essential to reduce human-wildlife conflict in Coimbatore district, District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar said on Tuesday.

Addressing field personnel from several departments at a one-day workshop, the Collector said the district faces an unusually complex challenge because it shares a forest boundary of more than 300 km and covers a diversified ecosystem. Coimbatore's forests border different forest divisions and tiger reserves, and human habitations lie along these boundaries, while tribal communities live inside the forest areas.

Mr. Giriyappanavar noted that Coimbatore could be among the top five districts in the country that are both highly industrialised or urbanised and also record active wildlife movement. This combination, he said, makes conflict avoidance and mitigation harder than in districts with fewer people living close to forests.

"We can tackle the conflict situation only if we jointly work together in this challenging and diversified ecosystem. We should use the latest technologies for mitigation efforts," he said.

The workshop was attended by personnel from the Forest Department, the Police, the Revenue Department and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited. It was organised by the Coimbatore Forest Division and the Nature Conservation Society at PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, under 'Project Kaliru 4.0'.

R.V. Ramya Bharathi, Inspector General of Police (West Zone), said 36 people lost their lives in conflicts with animals such as elephants, tigers and leopards across the eight districts of the western region last year.

She said the Forest Department cannot deal with human-animal conflict on its own and that the problem requires a coordinated approach involving several departments. Loss of life, she added, has also triggered law and order problems in some places.

"When a problem arises, police, revenue and other line departments should respond immediately as delayed responses have aggravated such situations," Ms. Bharathi said.

The remarks point to a wider administrative concern: conflicts involving elephants, leopards and tigers are reported from many parts of India where farmland, settlements and roads adjoin or cut through forest areas. Officials and conservation groups have repeatedly stressed the importance of early-warning systems, trained rapid response teams, clear Standard Operating Procedures and timely compensation to affected families, alongside long-term measures such as protecting wildlife corridors.

The workshop was designed to bring officials from different departments onto a common platform so that information on animal movement, public complaints and emergency response can be shared quickly. Participants were briefed on the roles each department is expected to play when an animal enters a habitation, when a person is injured or killed, and when crowds gather at the site of such an incident.

Officials said the discussions focused on putting in place a clear chain of communication so that the first responder at the scene can alert the Forest Department, police and revenue staff without delay, and so that compensation and medical assistance reach affected families without procedural hold-ups.

The Collector's appeal places the emphasis on preparation rather than reaction. With the district's long forest boundary and its mix of industry, agriculture and settlement, officials indicated that inter-departmental coordination and technology-assisted monitoring will remain central to the district's approach to human-wildlife conflict in the months ahead.