Kerala's Wildlife Carrying Capacity Study Draws Expert Criticism Over Approach to Human-Wildlife Conflict

The Kerala government, through Forest Minister Shibu Baby John, proposed a 100-day action plan to tackle human-wildlife conflict that includes assessing the carrying capacity of the state's forests and intensifying wildlife census efforts, with plans to consult the Wildlife Institute of India. The Minister cited preliminary figures suggesting elephant populations have doubled and noted that tigers in Wayanad have access to only 4 sq km of territory compared to the typical 20 sq km requirement. However, experts including P.S. Easa of the National Board for Wildlife and the Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi have challenged this framing, arguing that carrying-capacity studies risk reducing human-wildlife conflict to a numbers problem while ignoring habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, invasive species, and human encroachment. Critics contend that any viable study must consider the tri-state forest landscape spanning Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka rather than Wayanad alone, and that prey availability—not just predator numbers—should be assessed. Environmental groups advocate instead for prioritizing forest restoration and addressing human pressures on ecosystems.