Rapid urban expansions have led to rise in human-wildlife conflicts: Justice Surya Kant

Thiruvananthapuram | The rapid industrialisation and urban expansion in the modern era have caused cities and towns to spread and press against the edges of forest land, leading to increasing instances of human-wildlife conflict, Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant said here on Saturday.

Justice Kant, the second senior most judge in the apex court, expressed the view while inaugurating a two-day regional conference on human-wildlife conflict and co-existence, organised at the state legislative assembly here by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

He said that the 'inevitable result" of such expansion was that humans and wild animals are compelled to live in "unnaturally close proximity".

"As human settlements encroach upon forest areas and habitats shrink, the natural separation between human activities and wildlife collapses, creating frequent points of contact that escalate into conflict," he said.

Similar views were echoed by his apex court colleagues Justices B V Nagarathna and M M Sundresh who too blamed the development and expansion of human settlements for the conflict with wildlife.

"We created this situation," Justice Sundresh said.

"It is not the animals which are invading human spaces. It is the reverse," Justice Nagarathna said and recommended having an "ecocentric" approach rather than a "anthropocentric" one.

In his inaugural speech, Justice Kant further said the victims of the human-wildlife conflict were the vulnerable sections -- the tribals and the marginalised -- of the society who are unaware of their legal rights and entitlements.

He said that the lack of awareness is compounded by financial hardships and therefore, without any guidance or assistance, "they remain powerless to pursue rights, claims for compensation or additional reliefs like compassionate appointments or disability support".

"To allow them to languish unassisted would amount to reducing them to mere collateral damage of human ambitions." He also said that while ensuring wildlife thrives, safety, stability and well being of human communities were also important aspects to be considered.

Justice Kant said that the 2025 NALSA scheme for access to justice for victims of human-wildlife conflict would play a significant role in providing assistance to such marginalised groups.

The scheme, a hard copy of which he released during the event, provides for speedy redressal, compensation and legal aid for victims of human-wildlife conflict while promoting co-existence and biodiversity, NALSA said.

The scheme was termed as a "game changer" by Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar during his speech at the event.

He also said that any policy initiatives to address the issue of human-wildlife conflict requires a "holistic approach".

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev, who too spoke at the event, said that human-wildlife conflict has reached a critical stage in the southern state and was posing a serious threat to human welfare.

He said that the existing legal system was "not sufficient" to protect human lives and the provisions in the Wildlife Protection Act "limit the Chief Wildlife Warden's ability to make quick decisions in critical situations".

He said that Kerala has struggled for years with the limitations imposed by the central law.

The minister said that the state has implemented its own policies and took administrative actions to deal with the issue.

These included declaring human-wildlife conflict as a state specific disaster, he said.

The two-day conference will conclude on Sunday