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Uttarakhand Emphasizes Wildlife Coexistence to Mitigate Conflict

Source:garhwalpost ↗

Why It Matters

Directly relevant to Uttarakhand's recurring issues regarding human-wildlife conflict, forest management, and biodiversity conservation policies.

Summary

The Governor of Uttarakhand emphasized the critical need to promote coexistence and harmony with wildlife rather than viewing human-wildlife encounters purely through the lens of conflict, highlighting ecological preservation and community engagement in the hill state.

Key Points

  • Governor emphasizes shifting focus from human-wildlife conflict to coexistence and harmony with nature.
  • Stresses protection of wildlife habitats, forest conservation, and ecological balance specific to Uttarakhand's fragile topography.
  • Highlights the importance of community awareness and proactive measures to mitigate animal intrusions and protect local livelihoods.

Important Terms

Uttarakhand Forest Department

The nodal state agency responsible for managing state forests, protecting biodiversity, regulating wildlife conservation, and implementing mitigation strategies against human-wildlife conflicts across the hill state.

UPSC context

UKPSC Mains (Paper V - Environment, Forest Resources & Wildlife Conservation): Essential for questions on institutional frameworks, conservation policies, and state forest management.

Source
Human-Wildlife Conflict

Adverse interactions between wild animals and human communities resulting in property damage, livestock loss, injuries, or fatalities, increasingly recognized as a state disaster in Uttarakhand.

UPSC context

UKPSC Mains (Paper V - Biodiversity & Disaster Management): Tests understanding of ecological pressures, mitigation strategies, ex-gratia frameworks, and disaster classification in hill regions.

Source
Wildlife Week

An annual event observed across Uttarakhand to promote public awareness, community participation, and ecological dialogue regarding biodiversity protection and sustainable human-animal coexistence.

UPSC context

UKPSC Prelims / Mains: Important for state-specific conservation initiatives, environmental awareness campaigns, and participatory biodiversity governance.

Source

Static Concepts Connected

Environment & Biodiversity / Uttarakhand Ecology

What are the key statutory provisions and institutional mechanisms for wildlife management in India?

  • WPA 1972: Wildlife Protection Act (1972) provides the legal framework through six schedules regulating hunting, trade, and sanctuary/national park establishment.
  • State Disaster: State Disaster Management Authority can notify specific local emergencies, with Uttarakhand pioneering the inclusion of human-wildlife conflict as a state disaster.
  • Centrally Sponsored: Project Tiger and Project Elephant provide Centrally Sponsored Scheme funding for habitat restoration, anti-poaching, and corridor protection.

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • Disaster Management Act + Human-Wildlife Conflict

    Uttarakhand's declaration of human-wildlife conflict as a state disaster bridges environmental conservation with disaster management frameworks, inviting multidisciplinary questions on state-level statutory powers.

  • Demographic Shifts + Wildlife Corridors

    Leopard attacks in districts like Pauri and Almora tie forest fragmentation directly to rural out-migration and land abandonment in the Himalayan terrain.

Human-wildlife conflict disaster status + mitigation tools (solar fencing, corridors) will appear as a 2-statement Prelims MC.

Linked PYQs · 3

Linked PYQs · 3

  • 2025UKPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Match List - I with List - II and select the correct answer from the codes given below : | List - I (Wild Life Sanctuary) | List - II (Location) | |---|---| | A. Askot Wild Life Sanctuary | 1. Uttarkashi | | B. Binsar Wild Life Sanctuary | 2. Nainital | | C. Govind Wild Life Sanctuary | 3. Almora | | D. Nandhaur Wild Life Sanctuary | 4. Pithoragarh | Codes :

  • 2024UKPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

  • 2025UKPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Consider the following statements with reference to animal husbandry in Uttarakhand. Select the correct answer from the codes given below : 1. Animal husbandry is a supplementary occupation of agriculture. 2. Sheep rearing in the mountainous areas has been affected by environmental degradation.