Human-wildlife Conflict in the Forest Fringe Villages of Barak Valley, Assam, India

Abstract

Man and animals are frequently coming into conflicts over habitat and food requirements and this is mainly due to expanding human population and loss of natural habitats. The problem has been identified as major challenge to the governments of many countries and is significant to many human communities. Forest villages are the most potent sites for this problem as these are the places where human needs intersect with those of the wild animals. There are 104 forest villages in Barak Valley which is constituted by three districts; namely: Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj located in the Southern part of the Indian state of Assam. However, no proper study has yet been pursued with respect to man-wildlife conflict in these villages. Hence, present study was attempted to indentify the various wild animals which are involved in conflict in the forest villages of the region. The study revealed that there were four conflict animals; viz: jackal, civet, wild boar and monkey which were most commonly associated with the problem in these villages.