HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT OUTSIDE THE PROTECTED AREAS OF MUMBAI: A CHALLENGE

Abstract

Advanced industrialization in urban areas has led to the destruction and depletion of forest cover which is the habitat of several wildlife animals. This has led to an increased encroachment of wildlife into urban settlements. in search of food. The leopard is found in large numbers in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a protected area for wildlife, however due to modern urbanization the thin line between the SGNP buffer zone and the habituated regions have perished. As the leopard’s home range is disrupted for human activities the animal tends to wander out of his range into urban settlement in search of food. Until recently human life and wildlife coexisted with each other while adjusting and adapting to each other.Due to an eminent increase in forest destruction, this coexistence ceases to exist. When it comes to dealing with the man-animal conflict situation there is a drastic difference in the perspective of tribals versus the city people The tribals consider the wild animals sacred and

members of their tribe however due to a lack of awareness city folk are scared of the wildlife. Urban humans tend to harm the animals in lieu of protecting themselves and further increase the gap between the human animal conflict. The present study is an effort to review the man-animal conflict outside the protected areas of Mumbai, Maharashtra.