India has a rich history of indigenous knowledge systems. But how well has it fared in preserving them? This reading list compiles cases from different parts of the country to sketch out the state of biodiversity conservation.
This paper highlights some sustainability concerns related to Andhra Pradesh’s marine fisheries by using primary data. The analysis shows that several serious problems lie beneath the estimates of the quantity and value of annual marine catch from the state. The issue of targeted, incidental and by-catch in this multispecies fishery is interlinked in complex ways. A host of internal and external factors of the marine system drive the harvest. Increasing demand for shrimp, other high-value fishes, subadults, and juveniles of various species for consumption from different consumer segments, a thriving poultry or aquaculture feed industry and the perceived opportunity cost of avoiding or minimising the non-targeted catch by the fishers act as critical drivers threatening the sustainability of fisheries. If strict measures are not adopted, the AP fishery might collapse sooner than later.
The One Health framework that espouses an integrated approach for protecting the health of humans, animals and the environment is the need of the hour. The legally binding International Health Regulations (2005) is an existing powerful legislation that can bridge the gap between and among sectors for the realisation of the One Health approach in India.
While Madhya Pradesh is an acknowledged leader in implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, operationalising the local-level biodiversity management committees is a continuous challenge. The state’s multipronged approach with a focus on bio-fi nance, regulatory fl exibility, convergence with other government schemes, and enabling policy environment holds the key to building empowered, Atmanirbhar biodiversity management committees.
The rampant use of plastics in India and inefficient waste management practices have led to plastic waste being either piled up on dumpsites or finding their way into the open sea, contributing to the global problem of marine plastic pollution. Marine plastic pollution is a threat to the well-being of marine creatures and humans, and there are heavy economic costs as well. Providing a picture of the situation along India’s coast, this study points to the dire consequences in store if no or limited action is taken.
Biofortification refers to the increase in the amount of essential vitamins or provitamins or minerals in crops to improve the nutritional status of the people. The article argues that biofortification may not be an effective weapon to fight against the hidden hunger since it demonstrates limited capacity for nutritional enhancement and suggests a couple of alternatives.
The contributions of Marine Protected Areas vary greatly depending on their size, age, types and intensity of resource extraction in their area and level of financial support for management. Taking India as a typical example, how modern legal rationality, especially with respect to conservation, is entrenched in the idea of territorial control, undermines the efforts of the forest department in seascapes, and triggers conflicts, is described. Marine conservation should be motivated by a non-territorial rationality and engage seriously with alternative approaches such as dynamic co-management and legal pluralism.
The recent approvals granted by the National Board for Wildlife permitting ecologically destructive activities within national parks and sanctuaries have generated a lot of concern. A significant part of the concern is with respect to the timing, and whether it is appropriate to approve projects during the COVID-19 lockdown. Other larger issues of concern point to the fact that the NBWL has become a “clearing house” for projects, where, irrespective of its impact on wildlife, projects are approved and that the decisions of the board are guided more by economic, strategic, political and other considerations and rarely in terms of wildlife conservation. The NBWL is the apex body for conservation of wildlife and its habitat, and the NBWL’s role is of critical importance to ensure the long-term protection of India’s biodiversity.
Wide participation at the grassroots is an important prerequisite for effective documentation, management and monitoring of biological resources. India has long recognised the need for the documentation of biodiversity and associated knowledge.
Farmlands and farm practices are increasingly getting homogenised due to the all-pervasive intensification of agriculture. Often blurred in this production maximising system is the biodiversity in and around farms—both wilderness and agricultural—that dots farm neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, unlike biodiversity associated with more recognisable landscapes, such as protected areas and nature reserves, loss of biodiversity in and around farms due to agricultural intensification has not gained as much attention as it deserves. This paper highlights the potential roles that it can play to address challenges of food and nutritional security and securing rural livelihoods by drawing upon specific case studies across India and elsewhere.
