Human-wildlife conflicts have been significantly reduced in Poonch, a remote district in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir in India, following the activities undertaken by Dr Shahid Iqbal, an IFS officer, under a Rapid Action Project (RAP) funded by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Using a multi-pronged approach involving the participation of local villagers in conservation, equipping the forest department and increasing the intelligence outreach, the project has, within a few months of its implementation, succeeded in preventing a number of conflicts with the Asiatic black bear among others.

Flanked on three sides by the Line of Control (LoC), Poonch suffered from a chronic human-wildlife conflict situation. Through decades of political instability, uncontrolled resource extraction had led to severe habitat fragmentation resulting in the formation of a hill terrain with patches of discontinuous forests leaving the inhabitants with no choice but to risk conflicts. The fear propelled by insurgency and the consequential lack of will among the concerned authorities had aggravated the situation to such an extent that harassing and often killing the conflict animals was the most common form of retaliation adopted by the local people against the ‘intrusion’.

About 18 Asiatic black bears were reportedly killed in conflicts in 2006. Conflicts with common leopards were also encountered. On October 6, 2007, a snow leopard, one of the rarest mammals in India, was killed. Not as frequent but nonetheless significant was the number of humans, often children, who were mauled or killed during such conflicts, frequency of which increases in winters when the animals descend to lower areas where humans inhabit. Conflicts had led to disruption of normal lives with schools and other institutions shutting down frequently for security reasons. These problems however were not known to many outside Poonch, overshadowed as they were by the insurgency, resulting in minimal external intervention, if any.

Considering this, WTI in December last year, approved the RAP proposed by Dr Iqbal. It mainly aimed at reducing conflicts with wildlife by generating awareness among the villagers by encouraging their participation in conservation activities and capacity building of the forest staff.

The sanctioned fund was used to train the forest guards on conflict management, provide better equipment to tackle difficult situations and for intelligence gathering. Village Man-Animal Conflict Management (VMACM) committees were created involving elders and educated youth from villages to help control conflict situations before the arrival of trained forest staff. Blankets, torches and crackers were among the equipment provided to the villagers who stay sentry on machans to protect the crops. Tribespeople such as the Gujjars and Bakkerwals who migrate to higher areas with the advent of summer were made aware of the precautions and the methods for conflict mitigation. Equipment was provided to them to handle conflicts and provide a safe passage for the animals.

Many instances of conflicts have been avoided since the inception of the project. The methodical efforts of the forest guards capacitated by the RAP helped in aversion of about ten separate instances of conflicts with the Asiatic black bears. Displaced animals including a bear cub were rescued, provided treatment if required and released back into the wild.

The WTI-funded RAPs are generally of short duration but with effectively far-reaching consequences. Apart from the immediate benefits of reducing conflicts and casualties, the RAP has achieved many long-term and sustainable conservation successes. Among these, the more significant is the voluntary involvement of the local people in conservation activities. Several cases of conflict prevention involved their active participation and support. Moreover, the revitalised capability of the forest staff has facilitated a warmer relationship with the villagers. A system of rapid communication is being put in place with the police (who have better reach, manpower and technology) as the connecting link between them, for quick and efficient action to handle conflict situations.

The RAP conducted by Dr Iqbal along with WTI has seen immediate success. While the local people moved a step closer to leading a normal life, the scheduled species like the Asiatic black bear and the snow leopard moved a step closer to a secure future. However, complete success will depend on the will power of the local people to continue their efforts without getting disillusioned by stray incidents of conflicts and on the unwavering commitment of the forest department, with the RAP being only the beginning.