Bio-fencing to protect farms, human lives from wild jumbos
It has been very challenging for both the forest department and farmers to restrict the movement of wild elephants in any particular area. Now, an innovative method called “Bio-fencing” is being introduced to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
BAHRAICH: Thousands of people living along the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) on the Indo-Nepal border depend on farming. They work hard all day in the fields to achieve good produce, but before they can harvest, wild elephants damage their crops.
Ikrar Khan, village head of Amba, said that this was a common problem in Amba, Verdiya, Katarniya, Bharthapur, and dozens of other villages situated along the KWS near the Indo-Nepal border. “Every year, elephants eat standing crops on hundreds of acres of land, and farmers don’t even receive any compensation for the crop damage,” he said.
He further said that the elephants not only damaged standing crops but also occasionally killed people in this area.
Rafeeq, a farmer, shared that wild elephants had eaten all his wheat crops during the summer season, leaving him without a single grain to bring home. Similar stories were echoed by Shatroha, Chetram, Shripal, Ram Milan, and dozens of other farmers in Amba village, located near the KWS along the Indo-Nepal border.
It has been very challenging for both the forest department and farmers to restrict the movement of wild elephants in any particular area. Now, an innovative method called “Bio-fencing” is being introduced to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
Providing details about this innovative approach, Abhishek, project manager of the Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), explained that it is the first experiment of its kind in the area. He said they were planting saplings of thorny rough lemon (Jambhiri Nembu) trees to block the paths of elephants passing through farmers’ fields. This method was expected not only to reduce human-wildlife conflicts but also to increase farmers’ income in the area.
“We have targeted planting 3,000 rough lemon trees in the area, and we have already started with Verdiya village. On Friday, teams from the forest department, SSB, and the children of Katarniaghat Eco Club, with the help of NEWS, planted 250 saplings of rough lemon,” he said.
“‘Gajmitras,’ along with forest officer Ramkumar from Katarniaghat, SSB deputy commandant Meghnath Raut, and children from eco clubs, have taken the responsibility of protecting the plants until they mature,” he added.
Speaking to HT, divisional forest officer (DFO) KWS B. Shiv Shankar said that NEWS, a Kolkata-based NGO, has also trained 100 ‘Gajmitras’ in six of the villages most affected by elephant attacks.
