Eco watch | Conservation dilemmas: Wildlife vs human habitats

In Maharashtra, the proposed exclusion of 17 villages from the ambit of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve plan has revived a sharp debate. The move, pitched as a way to address local livelihood and relocation concerns, has triggered alarm among conservationists, who argue that it risks undermining the ecological integrity of the region. The area in question is part of a crucial wildlife corridor that allows tigers and other species to move between forest patches in the Western Ghats. Fragmenting this landscape, experts warn, could isolate populations, increase human-wildlife conflict, and open the door to mining and other activity in previously protected zones. The episode illustrates a recurring dilemma in conservation policy—addressing the needs of human settlements that, paradoxically, are themselves endangered by the very wildlife they must co-exist with.