The urban Indian narrative around human-wildlife interactions has predominantly focused on the notion of conflict. However, across India and several other parts of the world, there is a growing understanding of the incredible capacity to coexist with a wide array of wildlife. We believe that social factors such as culture, experiences, and perceptions play a prominent role in creating and sustaining a social capacity for coexistence.
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Since these social factors vary greatly, especially in a country as diverse as India, we instituted a fellowship programme to understand complex human-wildlife interactions through the lens of culture and tradition. The fellows selected came from a social and natural sciences background and were each assigned to different projects that fit the programme's theme.
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As we gather more stories of such interactions, the programme's larger goal is to share them with a wider audience through a platform that encourages further engagement between the general public and experts from the field.