Tamil Nadu deploys AI tools to prevent human-animal conflicts: Official

Tamil Nadu has successfully deployed AI tools to prevent human-animal conflicts, a move that has significantly reduced incidents involving wild elephants, the state's Additional Chief Secretary (Climate Change and Forests) Supriya Sahu said.

In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Sahu said the state is embedding technology and community participation to address issues ranging from wildlife protection to climate change and waste management.

In Madukkarai, to prevent accidental deaths of wild elephants on railway tracks, we have deployed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. Cameras equipped with AI and thermal sensors have been installed along vulnerable stretches, she said.

The initiative, she said, has helped achieve near-zero elephant deaths in the area as automated alerts generated by the system are shared in real time with local communities, train drivers, and forest teams.

The project is being expanded to other regions, including the Nilgiris, she added.

Sahu, who recently received the 2025 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Award, said the state is also building long-term climate models through a dedicated "Climate Studio".

"We are creating decadal models of climate change and partnering with institutions such as IIT Madras, Anna University, the Gandhi Devadasan Institute, and organisations like CEEW, WRI, and ICLEI. We are also working with UNEP on cooling guidelines and implementing cool roof solutions across cities," she said.

On coastal protection, she said the state government, in collaboration with the World Bank, is implementing the Tamil Nadu Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy (TN-SHORE) project to develop bio-shields and protect shoreline communities during natural disasters.

We are planting new mangrove areas, rejuvenating existing ones, and restoring seagrass and coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar. Efforts are also on to revive islands at risk of submergence. These are part of large-scale nature-based solutions being rolled out with the involvement of local communities, she said.

Sahu said the state is also intensifying efforts to ensure segregation of household waste to reduce landfill accumulation.

We are working closely with the Department of Municipal Administration to strengthen segregation of household garbage at the source. In urban areas, bio-mining of legacy waste has been completed in over 70 to 75 sites, she said.

She added that the government is engaging with town and village panchayats to build their capacity and connect them with recyclers, aiming to develop long-term sustainable solutions to address climate change challenges.