Conservation, Naturally!

The rains had played truant. Clouds were gathering and it could rain any moment. As I sat by the window expectantly, I noticed fresh petunia blooms in the flower bed. I heard Ginger, my cat, mew as he raced up the compound wall. I was dreading the moment he would land on the petunias and destroy a flower or a bud. Even as I raised my voice to shoo him away, he had landed, deftly avoiding injury to any of the plants. When he saw me at the window, he made his way up, taking extreme care not to damage a single petal or shoot. As he snuggled up to me, I petted my purring pet for having been so sensitive. This instinct to save nature is innate in all animals – wild or domestic. They do not want to cause wanton damage. However, we, humans seem to have overcome this instinct and, the average global citizen doesn’t really care about wildlife or the environment.

So, why must we bother about wildlife conservation? Why do conservationists and concerned citizens cry themselves hoarse when, in a country like India, we have so many other urgent problems that need our attention? Well, it isn’t solely because tigers and forests are beautiful. There exists a deeper reason to this. The forests that clothe the various animals’ habitat act as watersheds of major Asian river systems such as the Brahmaputra, Ganga and the Irrawady. The forests regulate the flow of water after the rains and protect the soil from erosion. The survival of these rivers is critical to the farmers whose survival depends on agriculture. For that matter, what would you and I eat if the farmers could not grow their crops? When we protect forests from the myriad problems that face it, we are not indulging in a luxury that we cannot afford in a poverty stricken, overpopulated country. We are, indeed, protecting the soil and water resources that sustain us.

However, our forests today are not very safe. The immediate threats to our forests and its animals, today, are poaching and man-animal conflict.

It is very scary that the third most rampant illegal trade in the world after narcotics and arms is that of wildlife! Our laws today provide for a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 and 7 years in prison. But, come to think of it, when notorious poachers like Sansar Chand can own property worth Rs 40 crores, what is a mere fine of Rs 50,000? On the other hand, these poachers have all the resources to engage the best lawyers in the country! We need to give this a re-think!

The other immediate threat is when people stay very close to protected areas, and come in conflict with animals. People staying very close to PAs also means that they trade in minor forest products, which causes a lot of disturbance in the food chain! However, we do have a policy wherein every family that wants to relocate from around a Tiger Reserve is given a compensation of Rs 10 lacs. This needs to be implemented whole heartedly.

At the end of the day, we have to come together – architects, engineers, conservationists, wildlife biologists and even the lay man ‐ so that we can make a difference. We need to conserve our forests and the magical creatures that live in them, not only because it is insensitive and cruel to let them disappear from the face of the Earth, but because our very survival depends on it!