Pawan Kalyan orders study into wildlife deaths

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan has directed the Forest Department to undertake a comprehensive study into recent wildlife deaths and assess the effectiveness of conservation measures being implemented across the State. The study will examine wildlife habitat management, protection measures, prevention of human-wildlife conflict and the impact of conservation programs. A high-level committee headed by Forest Department Adviser Mallikarjuna Rao and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rahul Pandey has been entrusted with the task.

The committee will visit wildlife habitats across the State to identify factors contributing to animal deaths and assess conditions along wildlife corridors. It will examine anti-poaching measures, surveillance systems, forest-fire prevention, availability of water sources and safety arrangements along animal movement routes. The panel will specifically review conservation measures for tigers, leopards, elephants and other wildlife, identify field-level challenges and recommend corrective action.

It will also prepare recommendations on habitat improvement, enhancement of natural food sources, protection of wildlife corridors and greater participation of local communities. The committee will study risks posed by infrastructure, including power lines, roads and railway tracks, and suggest measures to reduce wildlife fatalities and human-animal conflicts. Pawan Kalyan has previously emphasized the need to improve water availability for wildlife, particularly during summer. Following the death of a blackbuck that became trapped in an iron fence near Tirupati while seeking water, measures were initiated to establish water troughs along animal movement routes with support from the rural employment guarantee program.

The Deputy Chief Minister has called for scientific research and greater use of technology in wildlife conservation, alongside stronger field-level enforcement and community participation. The government aims to use the study to develop a more effective conservation framework, protect wildlife habitats and corridors, reduce animal deaths and human-wildlife conflicts, and safeguard Andhra Pradesh’s biodiversity for future generations.