Dehradun, March 3 -- The state migration commission is conducting a detailed study on the impact of wild animals destroying agricultural fields in Uttarakhand and will submit its findings to the state government by the end of March. The move comes amid growing concerns over crop damage caused by wild animals, which has been cited as one of the key factors contributing to migration from rural areas. Uttarakhand migration prevention commission vice chairman Sharad Singh Negi said, "We are preparing a detailed report on crop damage caused by wild animals across the state. The data has been collected from nearly 7,000 gram panchayats across Uttarakhand and analysis is currently underway." "We are assessing the extent of damage, identifying which wild animals are causing the most harm, which crops are affected, and in which regions the problem is more severe," he said. According to Negi, the nature of the problem varies geographically. "In some areas, monkeys are a major menace; in others, wild boars cause extensive crop damage. "Nilgai, elephants, and porcupines are also responsible in different regions," he added. "Wild animal impact is one of the reasons people migrate. As per our findings [in previous reports], it contributes around 7-8% to migration," Negi said. The report will also examine the compensation mechanism for farmers affected by wildlife damage. While provisions for compensation exist, Negi said that many farmers do not file claims. "There is a provision for compensation, but the process is not very smooth. People face difficulties in claiming it, which discourages them," he said. The commission will also document innovative local solutions adopted by villagers to tackle the issue. Negi said the final report will be submitted to the state government by the end of this month. This will be the 26th report prepared by the state migration commission. The previous report, submitted in August 2025, focused on reverse migration trends in Uttarakhand. In December last year, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said solar fencing and sensor-based alert systems would be installed across the state to address crop damage caused by rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict. "In areas where wildlife is damaging agricultural and horticultural crops, physical infrastructure and human lives, effective steps will be taken through solar fencing and sensor-based alert mechanisms," Dhami said. In August last year, the Uttarakhand forest department issued an order granting conditional permission to hunt wild boar and nilgai that damage crops in agricultural fields. The Uttarakhand government constituted the Rural Development and Migration Prevention Commission in August 2017 to examine all aspects of the problem, evolve a vision for the focused development of the state's rural areas, and submit recommendations to the government on how to stop migration. The commission submitted its first state-wide report on migration in 2018 and has released 25 such reports so far. The commission's first report stated that over 3,83,726 lakh people left their villages temporarily in eight years (2011-2018). While 1,18,981 migrated permanently during this period. Another report released by the commission in March 2023 stated that 3,07,310 migrated temporarily in five years (2018-22), while 28,531 people migrated permanently. The permanent migration between 2011 and 2018 affected 3946 gram panchayats, while it impacted 2067 gram panchayats between 2018 and 2022. The temporary migration affected 6338 gram panchayats between 2011 and 2018, while it impacted 6436 gram panchayats between 2018 and 2022....