Environmental group Green-SONS has called for adopting remedial measures to mitigate man-elephant conflict in Wokha district. Some of the measures include construction of elephant watch towers, digging of trenches at strategic points, adapting livelihood programmes and projects for farmers, habitat regeneration for elephants and engaging forest watchmen, especially in Bagthy valley which is a permanent habitat for wild elephants.
In a press release, Green-SONS chairman Jess T Murry pointed out that Wokha district was witnessing an abnormal rise in incidents of man-elephant conflict in recent times, which he attributed to absence of effective and proper mitigation mechanisms, resulting in a number of casualties of both humans and elephants.
The environmental group cited the stampede of a farmer from Mekokla village on November 15, 2018, electrocution of two wild elephants at Sanis in November 2018, destruction of farmlands and properties at Bagthy on November 25, 2018, rampaging of sugarcane field at Mekokla village on December 24, 2018 and the damage to plantations, crops and farmhouses at Longtsung village on March 7 this year as instances of how the man-elephant conflict was aggravating.
It added that many conflicts went unreported.
As a result, Green-SONS said many farmers had to abandon farming activities for fear of such menaces. According to the group, about a dozen human lives were lost in the last 10 years – two from Akuk, three from Longtsung, two from Mekokla, one from Bhandari village, etc. Green-SONS warned the growing conflict could result in public resentment against wild elephants among the farming communities in Wokha district that could result in wild elephants being killed and elimination of entire wild elephant population from the district.
Earlier, Inspector General of Forests and director, Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Noyal Thomas, during a seminar on human-elephant conflict mitigation awareness at Hammock Resort, Wokha Town, on February 27 had informed the gathering that the ministry would try to allocate more funds for Nagaland, and particularly for addressing the issue in Wokha district.