A new study has indicated a potential increase in human-wildlife conflict in the Eastern Ghats tropical forests in the future. The study, conducted by researchers Vikram Aditya and T Ganesh from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), revealed that human activities such as collecting forest produce and hunting overlap with wildlife activities in the protected area and its buffer zone. The Eastern Ghats, a tropical forest landscape in India with rich biodiversity and high human infiltration, experiences this trend.
Published in Biotropica journal in June, the study showed a significant overlap between human and wild animal activities, especially herbivores. Aditya stated that the high human activity levels in the Eastern Ghats forests may influence animal activity patterns, potentially leading to niche shifts and adjustments to avoid humans, especially for endangered species and mammals requiring large territories.
The study focused on the Papikonda National Park in Andhra Pradesh and its buffer in the northern Eastern Ghats, where camera trap surveys revealed overlapping activity patterns between humans and mammals, particularly herbivores. Despite the relatively low overall population density in the northern parts of the Eastern Ghats, there is increasing human disturbance in wildlife habitats and rampant hunting, posing a significant risk due to the overlap in activity.
The researchers were surprised to find a great degree of overlap between human and mammal activities, particularly with herbivores, in the region. They emphasized the importance of studying mammal occupancy and temporal activity patterns in the unprotected buffer areas outside the national park.
The report highlights the neglected status of the northern Eastern Ghats by ecologists, researchers, and conservationists. It suggests that further research and conservation efforts are needed in this area to address the human-wildlife conflict and protect the biodiversity of the region.
