Initiative / Scheme
Centre of Excellence on Human-Wildlife Conflict (CoE-HWC)
- Background: The Centre of Excellence on Human-Wildlife Conflict was inaugurated in Coimbatore on July 10, 2026.
About the Centre of Excellence on Human-Wildlife Conflict
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- This Centre of Excellence has been established by the following institutions:
- Wildlife Institute of India
- Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
- Objective: To enhance India’s scientific knowledge and institutional capacity to effectively address the growing issue of human-wildlife conflict.
Role of the Centre
- The Centre will function as a national-level nodal agency for:
- Research on human-wildlife conflict
- Innovation and development of new solutions
- Policy formulation
- Capacity building and training
- Sharing best practices for conflict management
- It will promote science- and evidence-based decision-making by integrating:
- Ecological research
- Modern technologies
- Community participation in wildlife conservation
National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal
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- The ‘National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal’ has been launched as a central digital platform for:
- Collecting and storing conflict-related data
- Data analysis
- Knowledge sharing
- Supporting better decision-making
- The ‘National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal’ has been launched as a central digital platform for:
- Functions of the portal:
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- Recording conflict incidents in real-time
- Enhancing coordination among forest departments, researchers, and local communities
- Assisting governments in making informed policies and management decisions
Key Areas of Focus
- To mitigate conflicts, the Centre will develop strategies tailored to specific animal species and regions.
- Special attention will be focused on conflicts involving the following animals: elephants, tigers, and leopards.
- It will also address the management of tigers that venture outside designated tiger reserves.
Key Objectives
- Promoting preventive measures to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
- Increasing public awareness regarding wildlife conservation.
- Encouraging the participation of local communities and other stakeholders.
- Minimizing damage to: Crops, livestock, property, and human lives.
- Ensuring the safety and welfare of wildlife.
Three Key Themes of the Inaugural Workshop
- Human-elephant conflict
- Human-big cat conflict
- Technology and innovation for mitigating human-wildlife conflict
Technologies to be Employed
- The center will utilize the following modern technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, drones, camera traps, GPS telemetry, and digital databases.
