Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday inaugurated the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Human-Wildlife Conflict at the Wildlife Institute of India–Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (WII-SACON) in Coimbatore. He also launched the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal, a digital platform designed to strengthen data management, knowledge sharing and scientific decision-making for wildlife conflict mitigation across India.

The inauguration was followed by a national workshop attended by policymakers, forest officials, scientists, researchers, technology experts and conservation practitioners from across the country. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh also participated in the event.

Addressing the gathering, Bhupender Yadav said that increasing interactions between humans and wildlife due to habitat fragmentation, land-use changes and expanding human activities have made human-wildlife conflict one of India's major conservation and development challenges.

He emphasized that India should adopt a solution-oriented approach by using modern technologies, scientific research and evidence-based conservation strategies. According to the minister, the newly established Centre of Excellence, announced earlier by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife, will serve as the country's central hub for research, policy support, innovation, training and the dissemination of best practices.

Yadav highlighted the need for targeted strategies to manage conflicts involving tigers outside protected reserves, leopards and elephants. He also called for large-scale awareness campaigns in both urban and rural areas to educate people about safe responses during wildlife encounters.

The minister said conflict mitigation should be based on area-specific and species-specific planning, supported by proactive action from forest departments, local communities and other stakeholders. He stressed that technological innovation and community participation would be essential for reducing crop losses, protecting human lives and conserving wildlife.

"Coexistence and harmony, instead of conflict, should be the guiding principle for ecological sustainability," Yadav said.

Speaking at the event, Kirti Vardhan Singh noted that India's successful wildlife conservation efforts have increased interactions between people and wild animals, creating new socio-economic challenges. He said the Centre of Excellence will strengthen capacity building for officials and local communities while promoting advanced technology alongside traditional conservation knowledge.

During the event, Bhupender Yadav also released the first edition of "Current Status of Human-Wildlife Conflict in India: An Overview," a publication that assesses current trends, challenges and emerging issues related to human-wildlife conflict across the country.

The workshop featured live demonstrations of the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal and expert discussions on human-elephant conflict, human-big cat conflict, technology-driven conservation and innovative conflict mitigation strategies.