FW: ENDANGERED

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From The New Sunday Express, Oct 23, 2005

 

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Development

_____

 

Endangered!

Thursday October 20 2005 17:34 IST

 

Nanditha Krishna

The Indian Parliament enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002 and the

National Biodiversity Rules in 2004. The main objectives of the Act are the

conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and

fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of

genetic resources. The Act envisages a three-tier structure made up of the

National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Authority and

Sustainable use of its components and Local Biodiversity Management

Committees. However, while the National Biodiversity Authority has been

established, few states have set up their Boards, while the local committees

are non-existent. The management of biodiversity is still a long way off.

Even the traditional knowledge associated with biological resources is not

protected under this act.

 

There are other laws to protect biodiversity, such as the Indian Forest Act

of 1927 and Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. There are also international

laws to which the Government of India is a signatory, such as the Ramsar

Convention on Wetlands (1971), CITES, World Conservation Strategy (1980),

Convention of Biological Diversity (1992) and TRIPS (1994), among others.

But India has a dismal record in the application of laws. Most cases under

the Forest and Wildlife Biodiversity Acts come up before District

Magistrates who are woefully ill-informed. One gentleman in the Nilgiris was

quite surprised to know that forest conservation laws existed. Laws are

useless if the judiciary and legal fraternity are unaware of new legislation

in India and the world.

 

There are 493 wildlife sanctuaries and 89 national parks in India , covering

4.71% of the country. Of these, 14 are biosphere reserves, which permit

development, besides conservation and research. So they are hardly

inviolate. Biodiversity hangs on a thread as fragile as the web which binds

all organisms. As natural resources are depleted, there is less to go

around, less to share. Economic, social and political problems are a natural

corollary to the depletion of natural resources, as castes and communities,

states and nations fight over them. Water, the most important natural

resource which comes from the hills and forests, is a source of discord.

When organisms disappear, the chances of fossil fuels forming are remote.

 

Biodiversity - or biological diversity - includes all the organisms found on

our planet, the plants, animals and micro organisms, the genes they contain

and the different ecosystems of which they form a part. Biodiversity is of

three kinds. Species diversity refers to the variety of organisms living on

the earth; genetic diversity to the variation in genes within a particular

species, such as different varieties of roses or butterflies; and ecosystem

diversity to the different types of habitats, which is the sum total of the

climate, vegetation and geography of a region. Biodiversity is not evenly

distributed. Only twelve nations contain sixty to seventy percent of the

world's biodiversity, India being one of them.

 

Biodiversity is essential to the survival of every species, as each organism

is linked to another in a fragile web called the web of life. These form the

food chain that links food producers to consumers, and maintains ecosystem

diversity. The amount of green plants in any environment should be much more

than the animals or insects that feed on them. The growth of grass is

controlled by the deer whose population is controlled by the tiger. There

are several food chains which, depending on the environment, could be simple

or complex. But all food chains are fragile, and if even one link is broken,

it sets off a series of reactions that could cause the collapse of the

ecosystem.

 

If predators - like tigers, snakes and eagles - are killed, the herbivores

they live on will multiply and will eat up green plants and grains, leaving

the land barren and unproductive. This is how a region like North Africa

became the Sahara desert. What would happen to dead rats and human health if

scavenger birds were wiped out? Every species has its role, making species

diversity essential. Loss of genetic diversity impacts immediately. The

genetic similarity of Brazil's orange trees caused a terrible outbreak of

citrus canker in 1991. The examples are endless.

 

India is one of only twelve mega diverse nations in the world, with over

85,000 out of 12,00,000 animal species in the world, and 45,000 out of

2,50,000 plant species. It is estimated that the world knows only about

17,70,000 species out of 5 to 10 million. We hardly know what we have, leave

alone what we have lost.

 

The rapid deterioration of the ecology due to human interference is aiding

the rapid disappearance of several wild plant and animal species.

Biodiversity is under serious threat in India for several reasons. Poaching

and the wildlife trade are major national concerns, and all the laws in the

world have not been able to stop the wildlife trade, the third largest after

arms and drugs. Habitat loss, caused by population growth and housing needs,

is another important cause.

 

Pollution from sewage and effluents is yet another. The indiscriminate use

of chemical pesticides and fertilisers is wiping out entire insect species

on which are dependant birds that pollinate our plants, but this is the

sacred cow in Indian politics and no political party will dare to remove the

subsidies that will reduce their consumption. Encroachment, siltation and

eutrophication are destroying wetlands. Oil spills, toxic effluents and

sewage, blasting and dredging, collection of ornamental and undersized fish,

trawler fishing, nylon nets, destruction of coral reefs and hot water from

nuclear plants are destroying marine life. Chemical pesticides, sewage and

other organic wastes and sand mining are destroying rivers. Forests are cut

for timber and urban use. Underground mining of minerals and blasting of

rocks goes on unchecked. And so on. There is no natural resource that is not

under threat.

 

Traditional knowledge is up for grabs. Multinationals send agents into

tribal areas to purchase traditional information and species. Sometimes

animal and plant species are nabbed by the customs as they are smuggled out,

but many species leave the country due to lack of knowledge. The bureaucracy

needs to be equally educated.

 

The third arm of our Constitution, the legislature, is equally important.

Politicians are unwilling to take unpopular but essential decisions. People

will accept short-term suffering if it means long-term hope. The poor Indian

is so used to suffering that he can be educated to understand that chemical

pesticides and fertilisers are not good for either his health or that of the

land. It is the rich farmer who will not change, and he is India's pampered

child.

 

Few educated Indians care for or understand biological diversity. A massive

movement must be carried out to fill this lacuna. The People's Biodiversity

Register envisioned under the Act could document local knowledge and

understanding, still retained in rural and tribal communities. Conservation

of biodiversity is essential for human survival. To quote Charaka (fourth

century A.D.), " As long as this earth is full of nature - plants and

animals - the human race is going to flourish. "

 

The writer is Director, The C P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation

 

 

 

 

 

 

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