Union Environment Minister inaugurates Centre of Excellence on Human-Wildlife Conflict at WII-SACON, Coimbatore; launches National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal

Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Human‑Wildlife Conflict (HWC) at Coimbatore and launched the National HWC Portal. The CoE is intended to serve as a national hub for research, innovation, policy support, capacity building and dissemination of best practices for managing HWC, especially for tigers, leopards and elephants outside protected areas. The portal is a digital platform for data management, knowledge sharing and decision support. A national workshop brought together policymakers, forest managers, scientists and technology experts to discuss species‑specific, area‑specific strategies and technological innovations for mitigating HWC. The first publication ‘Current Status of Human‑Wildlife Conflict in India: An Overview’ was also released.