People and protected areas: livelihood and ecological impact in Barnadi wildlife sanctuary, India

Abstract

The Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam is a protected forest area and a lot of such human interactions with the wildlife sanctuary have been observed from which the locals have been benefited greatly. This, in turn, has led to a strong emotional bond among them and the wildlife sanctuary as a whole. Apart from this, concern regarding the human-animal conflicts particularly in the case of elephants, which due to its high population in the area sometimes cause huge loss to life and property of the local people. In this chapter, the interactions, the effect on the overall economic aspect of the local areas near the sanctuary, the growth of the eco-tourism sector, the role of government and the forest department in maintaining a harmonious interaction between the locals and the sanctuary has been discussed.