PANAJI
Wild animals are entering human areas because forests no longer have enough food, said environmental researcher and Royal Swedish Academy Fellow Dr Purabi Bose, referring to reports of elephants straying into North Goa. Speaking at the closing of National Wildlife Week at the Museum of Goa, she said the idea of ‘man-animal conflict’ should be replaced with ‘co-existence’.
Dr Bose explained that elephants like Omkar, who often cross into Goa from Maharashtra, are not out to destroy crops or homes but come in search of food. She warned that conservation plans should not be made in conference rooms and forced on forest communities. Referring to the proposed tiger reserve in Goa, she said forest dwellers are co-authors, not beneficiaries, of any protection plan.
She also said city residents are becoming disconnected from the wildlife around them, often viewing creatures like monitor lizards and squirrels as pests. “If environmental education doesn’t begin at home, sustainability will remain fashionable, not functional,” she said.
In her talk on ‘Forest Science Communication through the Arts’, Dr Bose said governments depend on data and tagging, while indigenous communities rely on observation and inherited knowledge. She cited Ladakhi pastoralists who identify snow leopards without tags, adding, “Science can go further if it walks alongside local wisdom.”
The event, which featured film screenings and Bihari cuisine, also discussed Adivasi land rights. Dr Bose urged better implementation of the Forest Rights Act in tune with local cultures.
