The constitution of a seven-member State-level Advisory Committee on human-wildlife conflict mitigation by the Keralam government has drawn criticism from environmental groups, which have questioned the inclusion of members who lack specialist expertise in the field.
The committee, constituted as proposed by the State Forest and Wildlife department, includes conservationist M.K. Ranjitsinh, along with a hospitality-sector professional, a horticulture entrepreneur and Baiju Paul Mathews, who has reportedly been associated with the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA), which had been aggressively campaigning for farmers’ rights. Mr. Mathews had previously filed complaints concerning the actions of Forest department officers.
Environmental groups questioned the composition of the advisory committee, stating that it lacked adequate representation from Adivasi communities or traditional forest-dwelling farmers who regularly face wildlife-related problems; conservationists; scientists; biologists; animal behaviour experts; and NGOs with experience in addressing human-wildlife conflict.
The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) raised concerns over the criteria adopted by the government in selecting members of the advisory committee, particularly the inclusion of people, who it said, lacked experience in dealing with human-wildlife conflict.
WPSS president N. Badusha described Mr. Ranjitsinh as a prominent wildlife conservationist but said he had been included merely as a figurehead to lend credibility to the panel.
‘A farce’
“Several scientists, biologists and experts in Keralam who have studied human-wildlife conflict and advised the government on the issue have been left out. The committee is a farce and an exercise to create an impression of action. Its composition is unlikely to produce meaningful recommendations to address the conflict. At the same time, at least one member of the committee has already demonstrated hostility towards forests and wildlife and could potentially contribute to further aggravating tensions,” said Mr. Badusha.
Besides Mr. Ranjitsinh, the other members of the advisory committee are I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA; Michael Dominic of Casino Hotel, Willingdon Island, Kochi; Arun Zachariah, a former Chief Forest Veterinary Officer; Jose Jacob, managing director, Home Grown Nursery and Farms, Kanjirappally; Anand Kumar, Senior Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru; and Mr. Mathews.
M.N. Jayachandran, animal rights activist and State president of the Samasrishti Federation of Animal Rights Organisations of Kerala, said the composition of the committee could aggravate rather than resolve human-wildlife conflict. “Some members of the committee have supported the killing of wild animals as a means of addressing the conflict, and their inclusion raises serious concerns. Someone has seriously misled the Forest Minister. The Chief Minister should examine the matter more seriously, rather than assuming that everything the Minister has said is correct.”
The Animal and Nature Ethics Community (ANEC) Trust has questioned the inclusion of Mr. Mathews, citing his alleged opposition to the Forest and Wildlife department.
“The contributions of the some of the members of the panel regarding the management of human-wildlife conflicts are unknown to the public. Only those persons with proven track record should have been included in the committee considering its sensitive mandate. The government should immediately reconstitute the panel by incorporating experts from the field,” said T.S. Santhosh, legal representative of ANEC.
‘For balanced perspective’
When contacted, Mr. Mathews said he intended to contribute a balanced perspective to solving the human-wildlife issue.
“I have conducted several scientific studies on human-animal conflict and submitted recommendations to the Kerala High Court as suggested by the court. Perhaps it was this work that led to my inclusion in the advisory committee. My aim is to contribute a balanced perspective to solving the problem—enabling farmers to cultivate their land and people to live in the hilly regions without fear, while ensuring that wild animals have the space and opportunity to survive.”
KIFA chairperson Alex Ozhukayil said that Mr. Mathews was a member of the organisation. “He is a KIFA member, but he is not representing KIFA in any official capacity. He is just a member. He has become a member of the advisory committee in his individual capacity and not as a representative of KIFA,” Mr. Ozhukayil said.
P. Pugazhendi, Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala, did not immediately respond to the criticism.
Published – September 30, 2026 07:00 am IST
