Poonam is the Co-Founder Trustee of Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT), she has devoted more than 25 years to wildlife conservation. An alumnus of the Smithsonian Institute, trained as a Trainer for Wildlife Conservation, a Laurette with the Terre de Femme International award, She is on the State Committee for Conflict Mitigation, and the Local Advisory Board, Tadoba. Formerly, she has been member of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife and has been the first and only woman to hold the post of an Honorary Wildlife Warden in Maharashtra State.
Her decade long work in the field of Mitigation of Human – Large Carnivore conflict has facilitated the development and standardization of Government policies which have benefitted local communities for peaceful co-existence. She continues to work for the creating leadership and awareness for mitigation in more than 250 villages.
Ms Sangeeta Varma - began the session by asking the question to the panel for the Discussion of what is conflict. According to Ms Ambika Aiyadurai - conflict is when you try to conquer other spaces by overlooking their needs. And Mr Vivek Despande - said in Society humans express their anger or discomfort through words but by speaking power the animals don’t have their reaction towards us we label them tamed or Wild but they too have feelings. Mr Arvind Jha - said the professionalism of the forest Department plays a crucial role in making peace between the conflict of humans and Wildlife, their approach is sensitivity towards the animals. Since the time of Earth’s creation from ages it is passed from generation to generation that you need to create balance in nature, when we say nature consists of human beings and animals are the vital elements of the earth. The role of animals in various cultures is undeniable. Ms Poonam Dhanwatey - said that there is something to learn from Pardhi’s ways of dealing with animals and how they make peace with humans & wildlife in the jungle. The cases of wild animals such as leopards or tigers making the trip to the human locality is due to our encroachment in wildlife space. The Samruddhi project has shown the way. Forest area is conquered by humans through roadways. Humans undertake the study where there is a