262 | ILDC

1. Context and Rationale

The Eastern Ghats of Odisha are not merely a geographical or ecological zone; they are a centuries-old shared landscape where the lives of our rural communities and magnificent wildlife intersect daily. This dense, biodiverse region is home to creatures like elephants, leopards, and sloth bears, who all perform vital ecological duties necessary to maintain forest health. For generations, people learned to live alongside these animals, forging a delicate truce within the patchwork of shared forests and agricultural mosaics.

However, over the last two decades, this delicate truce has tragically dissolved under unsustainable pressure. The peace has been shattered as our towns expand, our farmlands encroach deeper into the forests, and as frequent, deliberate fires (with 90% traced back to human activity) aggressively consume crucial habitats and migration paths. This intense competition for space and water has inevitably intensified encounters, leading to devastating consequences for both sides. The human cost of this breakdown is shockingly visible: Odisha records some of the highest incidences of human–wildlife conflicts in India, including over 150 human deaths annually from elephant attacks alone, along with countless dangerous encounters involving bears and leopards. These grim statistics, however, only hint at the profound social and psychological trauma this daily threat imposes upon our citizens who rely on these rural landscapes for their livelihoods and their homes.

The four empirical studies presented in this session dive deep into this difficult reality, proving that solving the crisis requires more than just fencing and basic mitigation. The papers offer a composite, nuanced view of coexistence, illuminating the specific, localized conflicts: from documenting the complex foraging struggles of sloth bears in tribal lands to mapping how leopard occupancy patterns are dictated by human-set fires and shifting land-use choices. Furthermore, the research powerfully brings human agency to the forefront, showcasing community-driven solutions, such as the brave snake rescue and awareness networks established locally, while also examining the often-ignored toll that conflict takes on mental health and livelihoods.

Ultimately, these studies confirm that human-wildlife coexistence is not a simple choice between human need and conservation; it is a profound negotiation of rights, risks, and responsibilities across all ecological and social scales. The Eastern Ghats, as a high-stakes "shared landscape," illuminates the urgent need for empathetic policy and multi-species governance rooted in community stewardship and traditional knowledge. This session aims to reframe the narrative from one of crisis to one of collaboration and coexistence justice, foregrounding how both ecological balance and human well-being can be mutually reinforcing.

2. Objectives of the Panel

To present grounded case studies on human-wildlife coexistence across multiple species; elephants, leopards, sloth bears, and snakes, in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha.
To examine ecological and social drivers of coexistence, including habitat fragmentation, anthropogenic fire, land-use change, and local livelihood dependence.
To explore community-led and knowledge-based strategies, such as participatory zoning, rescue networks, awareness campaigns, and women’s collective engagement that foster coexistence.
To integrate discussions on wellbeing and mental health within coexistence frameworks, emphasizing the human dimension of conservation.
To identify policy, institutional, and governance pathways for strengthening rights-based, climate-resilient coexistence approaches in India’s forested landscapes.

4. Expected Outcomes

The session explores human-wildlife coexistence in the Eastern Ghats as both an ecological and social challenge. Drawing on cases involving elephants, leopards, snakes, and sloth bears, it examines how coexistence unfolds across diverse landscapes shaped by livelihoods, traditional practices, and governance systems. It highlights how deforestation, land conversion, forest fires, climate change, and displacement intensify human-wildlife encounters while weakening local stewardship capacities. Amidst these pressures, the session showcases community-led and educational innovations such as awareness campaigns, rescue networks, and participatory zoning that have transformed fear and retaliation into shared responsibility. It also brings attention to the overlooked mental health impacts of recurring wildlife interactions, especially in human-elephant conflict zones, emphasizing the need to integrate psychosocial dimensions into conservation policy. By linking ecological science, social research, and community experience, the discussion aims to move beyond the “conflict” frame toward a more just and empathetic model of coexistence. It calls for collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and local practitioners to design rights-based and climate-sensitive conservation strategies, contributing to ILDC’s broader discourse on commons governance and equitable environmental futures.

5. Target Audience

Researchers, conservation practitioners, forest department officials, mental health experts, civil society organizations, community representatives, policy-makers, and students engaged in biodiversity governance, human-wildlife interaction studies, ecological restoration, and participatory conservation.