Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) population in Gujarat is reported increasing according to the latest population estimation carried out by the Gujarat forest department; however the gradual loss in forest cover in bear habitat on the other hand is responsible for increasing human –bear conflicts. The protected bear habitats in the state are few and much fragmented in small patches.

Our findings through RSG project we started since 2007 in North Gujarat reveals that human bear conflicts are occurring in the area due to lack of awareness of local people about bear behaviour as well as and shrinking bear habitat in the north eastern part of the state. Similarly the bear habitat in the South-east Gujarat also faces the same challenges for bear conservation. The forest in this region is also unprotected and supports sizeable population of sloth bears and distribution of this population is unexplored. Through the support of RSG 1st and 2nd Grants and partial support from International Bear Association (IBA), USA we finished our study on evaluating habitats and human bear conflicts North-east Gujarat.

We would like to continue our research to fulfil the goals of evaluating human-bear conflicts in the entire Gujarat region. We are applying for Booster Grants from RSG to study bear distribution in the state and to evaluate bear –human conflicts in the rest of the bear habitats in the state, GIS analysis and conducting training and workshop for forest field staff and locals using the expertise of our research team.