Current Affairs

Wildlife Week 2025: India’s Transition Toward Human-Wildlife Coexistence

Author: VisionIAS Editorial Team

Oct 7, 2025Current Affairs8 min read

Wildlife Week 2025: India’s Transition Toward Human-Wildlife Coexistence

The theme of Wildlife Week 2025, “Human–Wildlife Coexistence,” aims to address the growing interactions between humans and wildlife by shifting the focus from conflict to coexistence.

Wildlife Week 2025, which is observed annually from October 2nd to 8th, marked an expansion of India’s conservation strategy. The Union Environment Minister launched five national projects and four monitoring programs at Dehradun on October 6th, adding new dimensions to the country’s approach towards human-wildlife interface.

Themed “Human-Wildlife Coexistence,” the event represented a transition from protection models to community-driven, technology-enabled conservation across India’s landscapes.

Organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), and Forest Research Institute (FRI), the event brought together policymakers, scientists, and conservationists to address challenges in biodiversity protection.

Table of Contents

Five National Projects for Conservation

Wildlife Week 2025 included the launch of five national projects designed to strengthen species conservation and address human-wildlife conflict across ecological zones.

Project Dolphin (Phase-II): Phase-II focuses on protecting river and marine cetaceans across India. The project addresses threats including pollution, net entanglement, and infrastructure development impacting dolphin habitats.

Project Sloth Bear: India harbors 90% of the global sloth bear population. Listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN, these endemic bears face habitat loss which results in human-bear conflict.

Project Gharial: The National Implementation Action Plan was launched for the conservation of Gharials. This critically endangered crocodilian receives attention through an action plan covering seven states and river systems including Chambal, Ramganga, Girwa, Ghaghara, Gandak, Mahanadi, Son, and Ken.

Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR): TOTR redress conflicts outside protected areas using a landscape approach, technological interventions, capacity building & community support. It addresses a reality showing that 35-40% of India’s wild tigers live outside Protected Areas.

Centre of Excellence for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management: Established at Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), this national center provides policy support, research, and field-based mitigation strategies for human-wildlife conflict management.

Monitoring Initiatives

Wildlife Week 2025 reinforced India’s commitment to evidence-based management through four assessment initiatives.

All India Tiger Estimation Cycle-6

The world’s largest single-species wildlife survey received a methodological update with field guides released in eight regional languages for implementation. Furthermore, the estimation process leverages advanced technology, including Program ExtractCompare, which fingerprints individual tigers based on their unique stripe patterns.

Snow Leopard Population Estimation

The second cycle employs photographic Capture-Mark-Recapture techniques, infrared camera traps, mobile applications, and pattern recognition software to estimate populations in the Trans-Himalayan terrain.

Cetacean Assessment and Avifauna Progress

Synchronized with Project Dolphin Phase-II, the Second Cycle of River Dolphin and Cetacean Estimation establishes baseline data for measuring conservation success. Progress reports on Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican populations support habitat protection and captive breeding efforts.

Understanding Human-Wildlife Conflict

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) refers to struggles between wildlife and human, typically occurring where populations overlap due to habitat encroachment and fragmentation. Habitat loss, agricultural expansion, and human settlements in wildlife corridors drive animals into closer proximity with communities, increasing conflict incidents.

HWC threatens species survival through retaliatory killings, disrupts ecosystems by damaging crops and livestock, and creates discord among stakeholders. Vulnerable communities suffer disproportionately through loss of lives, property, and livelihoods, leading to food insecurity and reduced agricultural productivity. As per government data, 606 and 82 human deaths were reported in 2023-24 in various Indian States due to elephants and tiger attacks respectively.

To tackle this issue, India has adopted a multi-pronged approach including Protected Areas Networks under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy (2021-26).

Sustainable Solutions: From Conflict to Coexistence

Solutions emphasize shifting from conflict to coexistence through physical barriers, community-based rapid response teams, adequate research in mapping conflict hotspots, and enabling policy frameworks that ensure harmonious cohabitation of humans and wildlife.

The ministerial address emphasized that wildlife protection represents a “shared responsibility”. Echoing the vision from the 7th National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) meeting, the Minister urged stakeholders to embrace technology-driven and community-centric conservation models to promote human-wildlife coexistence.

The theme of human-wildlife coexistence acknowledges increasing human-wildlife interfaces while establishing a policy goal: transitioning management frameworks from conflict response to coexistence planning.

This reorientation reflects ecological reality, wildlife must be managed across entire landscapes, not just within protected areas. The focus on field programs (TOTR) and research centers (CoE-HWC) confirms an integrated policy response.

Technology in Conservation

Digital Infrastructure is a vital aspect of wildlife management in India. The M-STrIPES system anchors landscape-level tiger monitoring, while drones and AI-based tools enable data collection across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

This technological backbone facilitates rapid response mechanisms for conflict mitigation. Deployment of Early Warning Systems (EWS) reduces human casualties and property damage. This can play an important role in reducing human-wildlife conflicts.

Financial Commitment and Resource Mobilization

The government’s commitment is reflected in financial allocations for 2025-26. The Central Government allocated ₹450 crore for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats under its Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with ₹290 crore (an 18% increase over 2024-25 estimates) earmarked for Project Tiger and Project Elephant.

However, resource allocation remains focused on select megafauna programs like Project Tiger. The funding gap among species-focused projects is being addressed with initiatives launched like Project Gharial and Project Sloth Bear.

Community Participation

The philosophy of Wildlife Week 2025 mandates community engagement across all initiatives. From fishermen networks preventing dolphin entanglement to ‘Bagh Mitra’ groups promoting tiger tolerance, local populations transition from subjects to conservation partners.

Additionally, technology-enabled safety measures create the foundation for community participation by reducing risks that fuel human-wildlife antagonism.

Institutional Coordination

The organization of Wildlife Week 2025 showcased inter-institutional coordination between MoEFCC,WII, ICFRE, IGNFA, and FRI. This approach integrates research, capacity building, and policy implementation into field operations.

Such coordination proves necessary for managing initiatives spanning states, ecosystems, and stakeholder groups. The model demonstrates that conservation requires coordination between scientific institutions, training academies, and administrative bodies.

Conclusion

Wildlife Week 2025 represents India’s transition towards conservation that balances ecological protection with human well-being. The launch of species-specific frameworks for Sloth Bear, Gharial, and enhanced Dolphin protection demonstrates diversification of conservation approaches.

By formalizing human-wildlife coexistence through projects, establishing research-backed policy centers, and linking action plans with monitoring cycles, India creates a feedback loop between science, policy, and field operations. These initiatives reflect India’s alignment with global biodiversity targets while addressing domestic socio-ecological realities through technology, community participation, and institutional coordination.