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.
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.
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.