Nagpur: In a telling reflection of the growing man-animal conflict in the region, the Nagpur Forest Division has paid a record Rs 8.27 crore in compensation to victims during the financial year 2024-25, the highest amount disbursed in the past five years.
According to official data, the compensation was distributed across 5,935 cases, including incidents involving human deaths, injuries, and other damages caused by wildlife encounters. The sharp spike in claims highlights the increasing frequency and severity of such conflicts, raising serious concerns about both human safety and wildlife habitat encroachment.
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As per official figures, crop damage remains the most reported issue, with 4,427 farmers receiving a total of Rs 3.37 crore in 2024-25. Cattle deaths resulted in Rs 3.13 crore being paid for 1,445 cases last year, while Rs 1.35 crore was provided to families of six individuals who lost their lives in wildlife-related incidents. An additional Rs 39.38 lakh went towards 50 human injury cases, and Rs 1.41 lakh was given for seven cases of cattle injury in 2024-25.
In comparison, the previous four years recorded much lower totals. In 2020-21, Rs 6.33 crore was paid for 8,049 cases. The following year, 2021-22, saw a sharp decline with only Rs 3.5 crore distributed across 4,528 cases. The compensation increased slightly in 2022-23 to Rs 4.59 crore and then, to Rs 5.73 crore in 2023- 24. As per the data, Nagpur division witnessed the highest number of human deaths in mananimal conflict in 2024 whereas four human deaths took place in 2023-24 and five in 2022-23.
The Forest Department attributed this alarming rise to habitat encroachment, fragmented forest corridors, and increased human activity in wildlife zones. “While compensation is a necessary relief, our priority must shift towards preventive action. We are actively working on community awareness, better fencing, and rapid response teams,” said a senior Forest officer. The sharp rise in compensation also indicates greater responsiveness by the department in acknowledging and addressing such incidents.
Despite all this, the department faces protests by villagers and victim’s families after any incident, which should also be addressed by the authorities. Experts suggest that strategic land-use planning, wildlife corridors, and early warning systems are crucial to reducing such encounters. The Forest Department has called for greater cooperation from local bodies, farmers, and conservation groups to implement these solutions. With human-wildlife interactions expected to increase in the coming years, the focus now turns to proactive policies that balance development with ecological harmony.
Forest Department pays record Rs 8.27 crore compensation in ’24-25
Nagpur: In a significant development, the Forest Department has paid the highest compensation in 2024-25 to victims of man-animal conflict in last five years. As per the data provided by the Forest Department, the Nagpur Forest Division paid Rs 8.27 crore for the financial year 2024-25, which is the highest since 2020. The amount, disbursed across 5,935 cases of human death, human injury, reflects a worrying rise in human-wildlife conflict in the region.
