KATHMANDU, JANUARY 1
The government provides million rupees in compensation to the family of the wildlife attack victim
The government has chalked out a programme to address the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict in the country.
According to 'Implementation Procedure of Conditional Grant Programmes to be Operated by Provinces' recently issued by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, human-wildlife conflict reduction programme will be put in place to address the human casualties and crop damage caused by wild animals.
"The cases of human-wildlife conflict are on the rise with the success achieved by Nepal in wildlife conservation. These incidents are reported almost on a daily basis, especially in surrounding areas of national parks, protected areas and forests," reads the procedure.
The MoFE said the programme would focus on maintaining coexistence between human and wildlife by preventing and reducing the conflict.
The budget allocated for this programme would be spent in rescue, medical care and other necessary logistics and infrastructures.
"This programme will be operated by divisional and sub-divisional forests offices in coordination with local levels, conservation partners, Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and other stakeholders. It is expected to support in reduction of human-wildlife conflict," it said.
According to statistics, at least 103 persons were killed in wildlife attack over the period of past three years. People continue to be attacked by animals from the national parks, wildlife reserves and nearby forests. The major conflicts are illegal extraction of park resources such as collection of firewood, fodder and timber, livestock grazing, crop raids by wild animals and loss of human life and property.
The government provides a cash compensation of one million rupees to the family of a person killed in wildlife attack, as per the existing Wildlife Damage Relief Guideline.
Similarly, a person who suffers serious injuries in wildlife attack gets the compensation of Rs 200,000, whereas a victim with minor injuries receives Rs 20,000. The government also provides cash compensation for crops damaged by wildlife. The victim or the family concerned should submit an application to the authorities concerned for claiming compensation within 35 days of the incident.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
