Why in news? Karnataka Forest Department launched centralised wildlife crime management system

Highlights:

• The initiative was launched during the, a state-wide crackdown on the illegal possession of tiger claws and pelts by Karnataka Forest Department.

About HAWK

• Karnataka Forest Department, along with the Wildlife Trust of India, has launched the Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK) system.
• Initiative is supported by NTT DATA(Japan-based) , an IT services provider, under its CSR programme.

Features

• Specialised software platform to monitor all aspects of forest and wildlife crime such as the death of wildlife, suspected criminal activities, and the movement of suspicious vehicles..
• Information regarding incidents from the field would be fed into a centralised system
• Staffers can monitor movement of suspects, vehicles, live responses and exchange intelligence with their counterparts in the neighbouring states.
• System will help the department to manage and monitor data regarding forest and wildlife crime across the State in real-time.

First launched in Kerala

• The HAWK was launched in Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve for the first time in 2019