Human-Wildlife Conflict: A Threat to the State of Uttarakhand

A majority of women in Uttarakhand's hilly terrains are involved in agriculture. However, women farmers have faced multiple challenges in practicing it in the past few years. Climate change, forest fires, human-wildlife conflict, etc., are interrelated and have consistently caused havoc. Time and again, locals have proffered their challenges which range from lack of crop insurance to absence of alternative livelihood opportunities in their surroundings. Amongst the challenges mentioned, human-wildlife conflict is one that requires immediate attention : wild animals coming from the jungles in search of food to the village settlements and destroying crops.

The women of Uttarakhand have unanimously voiced this problem and the need for relief through long and short-term solutions. To shed some light on this issue on a government level, SEWA Uttarakhand started a signature campaign across five state districts. It mobilized 8500 women to sign a memorandum directed toward the CM of Uttarakhand requesting him to activate MGNREGA to its fullest optimum. The MoU mentioned the urgency for providing alternate livelihood options to women , establishing marketing platforms for their produce, changes in forest laws, and the afforestation of indigenous vegetation in the forest land.

On 9 April 2022, SEWA Uttarakhand had the chance to meet the honorable chief minister and present to him the signed memorandum. The team shared concerns and factors affecting the lives of the people of Uttarakhand: issues around lack of crop insurance, wastage of time, labor, and resources which force people to migrate to earn a living.

In terms of immediate action, the CM of Uttarakhand has been making regular announcements?to counter the problem of forest fires in the state. Village-level collectives are to be formed to push?stricter laws for people caught setting jungles on fire.?

WAY FORWARD

The way forward includes determining key locations and preparing clusters that need immediate action from the government. Involving the forest department is critical in starting conversations around the issues of human-wildlife conflict and forest fires, along with regular awareness sessions with women and community leaders on matters of social justice and laws. The team has also focused on building resilience by tapping into non-traditional forms of livelihood under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) as an essential component in combating unemployment.

SEWA Uttarakhand is working relentlessly towards addressing these issues by involving stakeholders and bringing state’s problems to their attention.

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