Rishikant Singh
Based on my work experience in different geographies in developed nations and others, observing wildlife and nature parks in different regions of the world, my appeal to the authorities in India is to take up the following steps:
India’s heritage of respecting nature stems from the concept of worship of Goddess Vandevi, as a form of Goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiv who can obliterate the universe if angered is significant. Interpreted correctly it means if the universe goes into imbalance or nature is destroyed, it invokes its anger and the Tandav dance, which rocks heaven and earth causing untold misfortune and cries of all life forms invoking intervention of the Gods with a plea to save the world.
There is a need to invest in education at very grassroots and primary levels, on basics of forests, nature parks, biodiversity hotspots, clean and green personal habits, beyond slogans like “Cleanliness is next only to Godliness”. The positive action on personal hygiene must extend to reduced waste generation, reduction in dependency on petro-derivatives like plastics, artificial rubber compounds, and excessive use of glass and replacement with bio-derivatives.
Asmall percentage of the tax revenue can be set aside for national fund for regenerative forestry and biodiversity plan. This can make a big difference.
Recycling must be inculcated in organized manner right from schoolteacher training and projects for youngest of children as the Japanese do.
While New Delhi and planned cities like Chandigarh have large parks, city forest tracts are surviving only in Delhi and NCR despite the encroachment. Even the city of gardens like Bengaluru has lost it. Fortunately, the adjoining Bannerghatta and forests survive, even as tracts to the airport and towardsMysore is seeing deforestation and construction. The entire IT area is one example. Interestingly government provided subsidized land to develop IT parks and complexes, which then raked in large amounts of profits for promoters and investors.
Corporatesgiven government land for a commitment to develop twice the land area as forests for Tier 1 and 2 cities,as alternatives in a stepped manner, say starting 2-3 years of company going operational and extended up to 10 years with defined tree density and biodiversity parameters as per geography.
While the US with very low population density and newer civilization had visionary individuals and lawmakers who set-up national parks, starting with Yellowstone, which is worth a visit for the Parliamentary Committee for 3-days to study the length, breadth and diversity of terrain concerned. Desert forests in southern states of Arizona and New Mexico in US,and in Saudi Arabia and Gulf nations, to appreciate that what appears as infertile and inhospitable environs teeming with wildlife, and serves as an animal corridor between the vast regions of Americas, and within the desert expanses of the Middle East which needs freshwater oasis for life to survive over millennia.
Similarly, seas and oceans are reserves of life and needs the river estuaries and mangrove forests. Unfortunately to house the needs of a burgeoning upwardly mobile populace, and the industries, large chunks along the coast has been reclaimed and “developed” by which numerous indigenous species has been lost forever. The villages in and around Sunderbans are an example of encroachment. With a rising sea level due global warming and melting of icecaps these areas will be inundated and biodiversity lost unless adjoining higher lands too are kept safe from now on.
US is great because of their futuristic vision and concerted action, despite mistakes along the way. Their vision included building network of large highways and country roads through scenic areas even through places where there was no habitation,nor likelihood of development in the immediate foreseeable future. They built provisions for laying cables, drainage alongside these in advance during early construction, which saved constant modeling and remodeling of these roads and adjoining areas. They had identified waste product burial sites and exported waste to countries that were better at recycling, like Japan. A key differentiator of the inbuilt attitude and work process on root cause analysis and corrective action, right from policy to its implementation and congressional monitoring.
Wood logging was a major activity, but soon it was supplemented with regenerative forestry even though monoculture crops or trees are not environment friendly, so vast tracts of wilderness was reserved for biodiversity from the plains to the mountain tops. In our case the ancient Aravalli, Vindhyachal, Himalayan range, Western and Eastern Ghatsup to southern tips, sections of beaches and seashore, need to be left pristine and untouched by tourism. This will alsoallow insects and animals to flourish and complete the bio-cycle and preserve biodiversity.
A policy to allow shifting of individual trees from private property and residential areas at a fee sayof Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 60,000 for large and medium trees,of 1 foot in incremental foot circumference, up to fee capping of 4 feetby local civic bodies be provisioned for major metros, and lesser incentive for small towns. The relocated trees can be replanted in city forests or parks nearby and continue to provide green cover and associated benefits to air quality.In addition, a name plaque can be installed on the trunk stating donor’s name and locality as a consolation. An incentive based on tree girth may be provided to those maintaining living trees within their compounds and half of these amounts on pavements within 4 feet of their official boundary walls on yearly basis be provided for encouraging greening efforts.
(Writer was former head of Air India in Chicago)
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