Vol. 8, Issue 9 (2019)

Author(s):
P Vinoth, TS Rajeev, RS Jiji, R Senthilkumar and VL Gleeja

Abstract:
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) involves any interaction between man and wildlife that has a harmful effect on either human or wildlife populations. A number of problems make wildlife a concern, especially to the socio-economic status of the communities in bordering wildlife protected areas. As a result, local people look at wildlife as a liability rather than an economic and social status advantage, thus making wildlife conservation efforts be perceived as a contradiction to the socio-economic endeavours of local communities. A study was carried out to analyse the socio-personal and socio-economic profile of conflict-affected respondents in Eastern forest circle. A field survey was undertaken in the eastern forest circle of Kerala state to assess the profile of the human-wildlife conflict affected respondents. Sixty inhabitant families among the affected group of HWC were purposively selected from Eastern Palakkad forest circle of Kerala. The circle encompasses Mannarkkad, Nilambur North, Nilambur South, Palakkad and Nenmara forest divisions as a sample of the study. Thirty non-tribal and tribal families from the affected group were selected for the study. The data were collected through personal interview method using a structured pre-tested interview schedule. A majority (68.9 %) of the respondents were elderly and there was domination by men in this venture (Non-tribal - 90%; Tribal – 60%). Over eighty per cent of the non-tribal respondents had primary school to graduate education, whereas 56.67 per cent of the tribal respondents were illiterate. A total of 66.67 per cent of non-tribal and 86.67 per cent of tribal respondents were from a nuclear family. Most of the non-tribal respondents (53.34 per cent) resided in close proximity to the forest area with 0.5 to 1 km distance,whereas, 93.33 per cent of thetribal respondents were in close proximity to the forest area with 0 to 0.5 km distance. A majority (73.33 %) of the non-tribal respondents had the primary occupation of agricultureand most of the tribal respondents (86.67 %) had petty jobs. The respondents were marginal farmers and 11-20 years of farming experience in both classes of respondents.