NCF’s efforts to minimize Human-Animal Conflict

National Conservation Foundation (NCF) was founded in 1996 as a public charitable trust. NCF aims to preserve India’s rich wildlife heritage and biodiversity while also working towards the development of local communities. Rising human-animal conflicts in the Western Ghats has caused several inconveniences to local communities and farmers.

In MM Hills and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary of Western Ghats, local farmers often encounter wild animals like tigers, elephants, and wild boars. They attack the crops and the livestock of the farmers. Such human-wildlife interactions often occur during the night. Being far away from the electricity grid, villages and farms here do not receive an adequate supply of electricity. Therefore, they are unable to stop encroachments of wild animals at night. NCF intervened by installing solar-powered lights in the homes of the locals so they could be more aware of their cattle and farms at night.

Further, they have also provided solar fencing around the farms to farmers of KK Hills. The KK Hills and Cauvery Sanctuary is home to many elephants of the Western Ghats. The installation of the solar fencing helped locals in avoiding unwanted human-elephant interactions that can turn fatal.