Amid a sharp surge in human-elephant conflicts, the Jharkhand government is formulating a 10-year strategic blueprint to reduce wildlife-related incidents and rejuvenate the state’s forests.
Elephant attacks alone have claimed at least 25 lives in the past week, underlining the urgency of the initiative in the State.
The proposed vision document, built around a 30-point action plan, focuses on improving wildlife habitats, restoring degraded forest land and strengthening forest-based livelihoods for local communities.
Measures to curb mining-induced pollution through extensive afforestation and digital mapping of forest boundaries for better protection are also part of the plan.
Senior forest department officials said that the draft is expected to be completed by March 31 and rolled out from the next financial year. The aim of the draft is to strike a balance between ecological conservation and the welfare of people living near forest areas.
The plan is being prepared against the backdrop of recurring fatalities and property damage caused by elephant movement across the state. Since the beginning of this year, elephant encounters have resulted in multiple deaths, including 20 attributed to a single tusker in West Singhbhum district.
To manage such cases, the forest department is exploring the establishment of a dedicated elephant rescue centre on 5–10 hectares of land, with Ranchi being considered as a potential site.
Experts attribute the rising conflict to shrinking habitats, disrupted migration corridors and food scarcity caused by mining and deforestation. A recent DNA-based census has revealed a steep fall in Jharkhand’s wild elephant population to 217, compared to 678 in 2017.
Officials also noted changes in elephant feeding patterns, with animals increasingly venturing into farmlands. Options such as temporary crop diversification in vulnerable zones and restoration of elephant corridors are under active consideration.
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