Thiruvananthapuram: The Forest Department has released a draft policy document aimed at addressing human-wildlife conflict in the state. The initiative, titled “Mission for Agricultural Revival and Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation”, will focus on an intensive one-year action plan. The programme will be officially launched on August 31 in Kozhikode by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

As part of the mission, the government has announced a statewide campaign to completely eradicate wild boars, which have been causing widespread damage to crops and posing a threat to human settlements. Forest areas that have become breeding grounds for wild boars will be cleared under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Chief Wildlife Warden has been vested with the authority to sanction the culling of wild boars that stray into human habitats.

The project will be carried out through collective efforts involving youth clubs, farmers’ collectives, agricultural labourers, rubber tappers, MGNREGS workers, licensed shooters, forest officials, and forest protection committees, with leadership from local self-government bodies.

Under the employment guarantee scheme, pits will also be dug to trap wild boars. While shooting remains the current permitted method of culling, the procedures for shooting wild boars are set to be revised.

The draft policy has been published on the Forest Department’s official website, and the public has been invited to submit feedback until August 27. The government also intends to seek greater powers for states to directly address threats from dangerous wild animals. A monitoring system will be introduced along forest pathways to prevent harassment of wildlife and to discourage activities that lure animals towards human settlements.

The draft further highlights that human deaths caused by wildlife have shown a declining trend. Key goals include eliminating deaths due to snakebites, introducing group insurance schemes for compensation, and modernising solar-powered fencing systems.