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Human elephant conflict rose sharply in Karnataka, study finds

Human elephant conflict rose sharply in Karnataka, study finds

A study in the Journal of Geomatics found 1,22,986 human–elephant conflict incidents recorded across eight Karnataka districts from 2019 to 2023. Researchers analysed geo-tagged data from the e-Parihara web portal of the Karnataka Forest Department covering the Southern Western Ghats region. Kodagu district recorded the highest cases and compensation. Cases rose from 8,184 in 2019 to 30,912 in 2023, while compensation increased from ₹53.7 million to ₹390.4 million, totalling ₹1,050.5 million over five years. Districts within the Western Ghats were distinguished from those outside such as Mandya and Ramanagara to understand geographical dynamics. The study categorised damage into six types including crop loss, property damage, and human injury or death. It identified 1,998 conflict-prone villages, classifying 26.1% as Very High and 35.4% as High hotspots, with 9.4% as New or Emerging Hotspots. The authors suggest the village-level hotspot database supports targeted habitat management and policy interventions aligned with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change 2023 mitigation guidelines, emphasising early warning and rapid response systems.

Questions about the human elephant conflict study in Karnataka

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G.M. Pavithra, G.V. Venkataramana, Shaik Vazeed Pasha and others carried out the study, titled “Geospatial Quantification of Human–Elephant Conflict Hotspots in the Southern Western Ghats”. Read the study.

The study was published in Journal of Geomatics on . See it in the journal.

A study in the Journal of Geomatics found 1,22,986 human–elephant conflict incidents recorded across eight Karnataka districts from 2019 to 2023. Read the full study.

Sources

Study: Geospatial Quantification of Human–Elephant Conflict Hotspots in the Southern Western Ghats by G.M. Pavithra, G.V. Venkataramana, Shaik Vazeed Pasha et al. in Journal of Geomatics Read the original (opens in a new tab)

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