Forests are "biodiversity hotspots". One measure of the biodiversity of an area is the number of species found there. However, the range of different life forms (bacteria, fungi, flowering plants, birds, reptiles and so on)found, is also important. One of the main aims of conservation is to try and preserve the biodiversity inherited. Experiments and field studies suggest that loss of diversity may lead to loss of ecological stability.
The Forest Department in independent India took over from the British, but local knowledge and local needs continued to be ignored in the management practices. Thus, vast tracks of forests have been converted to monocultures of pine, teak or eucalyptus. In order to plant these trees, huge areas are first cleared of all vegetation.
Industries would consider the forest as merely a source of raw material for its factories. And huge interest groups lobby the government for access to these raw materials at artificially low rates. Since these industries have a greater reach than the local people, they are not interested in the sustainability of the forest in one particular area. For example, after cutting down all the teak trees in one area, they will get their teak from a forest farther away. They do not have any stake in ensuring that one particular area should yield an optimal amount of some produce for all generations to come.
Now, we come to the nature and wildlife enthusiasts who are in no way dependent on the forests. Conservation of forest and wildlife has been a religious tenet for them. These nature loving people have been conserving the flora and fauna to the extent of sacrificing their lives to protect the environment. They are living with the basic philosophy that all living things have a right to survive and share all resources. The Government of India has recently instituted an Amrita Devi National Award for Wildlife Conservation in the memory of Amrita Devi, who in 1731 sacrificed her life along with 363 others for the protection of trees in a village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
Management of protected areas by keeping the local people out or by using force cannot possibly be successful in the long run. In any case, the damage caused to forests cannot be attributed to only the local people and one cannot turn a blind eye to the deforestation caused by industrial needs or development projects like building roads or dams. The damage caused in these reserves by tourists or the arrangements made for their convenience is also to be considered.
Forest resources ought to be used in a manner that is both environmentally and developmentally sound and while the environment is preserved, the benefits of the controlled exploitation go to the local people, a process in which decentralized economic growth and ecological conservation go hand in hand. The environment must not be regarded as a pristine collection of plants and animals. It is a vast and complex entity that offers a range of natural resources for our use. We need to use these resources with due caution for our economic and social growth, and to meet our material aspirations.
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