PUTRAJAYA: A new policy to compensate for the damage caused by wildlife to people's livelihoods is in the works, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
The Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister said the new policy is necessary as cases of human-wildlife conflict were expected to keep rising.
"As more areas near forests are developed, the chances of human-wildlife conflict such as the destruction of crops or farmland will only increase," said Nik Nazmi.
He added that there is a worry that those affected may take matters into their own hands to deal with or harm the animals that caused the damage.
"As such, developing a policy to compensate those whose livelihoods were affected or destroyed by wildlife is important," he stressed.
Nik Nazmi noted that the compensation policy would not apply to those whose farms or plantations had illegally encroached upon forest reserves, nor to those that did not follow guidelines.
He added that the policy was still in the discussion stage with other ministries including Agriculture and Food Security, and Plantation and Commodities.
