Focus Group Discussions and Dialogues on Human-Elephant Conflict Resolutions between Village Folk and State Forest Department at Bannerghatta National Park

Abstract

The Karnataka Forest Department of the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), in collaboration with A Rocha India, a conservation NGO conducted a series of focus group discussions on the issue of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) and its mitigation, for residents and farmers around the Bannerghatta National Park. The authors have collected qualitative data from the four wildlife ranges of BNP; Bannerghatta, Anekal, Harohalli, Kodihalli via focus group discussions giving us insights on the current challenges experienced by the local communities who are affected by HEC, what are some root causes, patterns of conflict and issues faced by the local village folk within the region. Over 500 local stakeholders participated in 4 workshops, representing roughly 36 villages from the area. This article gives a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by HEC across the 4 ranges of BNP and the proposed efforts taken by the Karnataka Forest Department to mitigate them. Respondent feedback from attendees for every wildlife range have been categorized into the most common/general concerns, making it easy for management to address each concern systematically. Some of common concerns with regards to HEC were with regards to movement of elephants through villages, disbursement of exgratia and breaches in elephant proof barriers (EPB) near villages.