Policy for human-leopard conflict management in India
- April 1, 2009
- by Marker L. L., S. Sivamani
Abstract
A national workshop was held 23-24 January 2007 in New Delhi, India to develop a pragmatic management policy for human-leopard conflicts in problem areas. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) jointly hosted the workshop. Over 25 participants attended, including scientific experts who have worked with leopards and other carnivores in India and abroad, and Chief Wildlife Wardens and Forest officials from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Uttaranchal, Himach- al Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Topics of the workshop included status reports from States, overview of leopard ecology, legal issues of handling the species, and the formulation of a national policy for human-leopard conflict management.