Forest conservation facing growing challenges amid human-wildlife conflict: KFRA

The Northern Circle conference of the Kerala Forest Rangers Association (KFRA) has expressed concern that effective forest and wildlife conservation is becoming increasingly challenging due to “politically motivated misinformation and pressure” amid escalating human-wildlife conflict.

The conference, held at Gibbs Hall in Mananthavady on Saturday (July 11), was inaugurated by Santhosh Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer, North Wayanad Division.

The general session commenced with condolences to the victims of the Kalladi debris slip disaster. The delegates also discussed the importance of conserving the Western Ghats in the light of a series of devastating landslides in Wayanad in recent years, including the Puthumala and Mundakkai-Chooralmala disasters.

The conference emphasised that all developmental activities in ecologically sensitive areas should be preceded by detailed scientific studies that consider soil characteristics, water absorption capacity, drainage patterns, piping potential, and other geotechnical factors, with the safety of people and property as the foremost priority.