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Declarations:
Are They Hope Givers? (Sarayu
Vishwanathan
and Shirley Susan, (1997), EQNewsfeatures, Volume III, Issue 5 June)
June 5th
- the World Environment Day, a day which was marked at the Stockholm Conference,
1972 to take a look and reflect on the destruction of our natural resources
over the last few years. This conference took keen interest on issues
related to climatic changes, pollution of our land and oceans, decrease
in forest cover and the number of flora and fauna facing extinction. Having
found a priority along with other 'days' which were meant to wake us up
to issues of importance, the Environment Day is meant to increase our
awareness about the need to protect and conserve our natural resources.
This issue has been the subject of heated debate for the past few years.
To address problems related to the environment, conferences have been
held through the year, all over the world. India too, is a signatory to
some of the Declarations like the Stockholm Conference, the United Nations
Convention on Environment and Development at Rio and the Montreal Protocol.
Treaties have been signed and resolutions have been passed in each of
these conventions. A time has come for us to assess for ourselves if these
treaties and resolutions are truly being put to practice and if they are,
has it made a change towards the better management and use of our resources.
If our answer to this is in the negative, it is for us now on the occasion
of the World Environment Day to question why these resolutions have failed.
Why has not the Declarations of Intent followed with action?
Taking a closer look at our global environment, the forests that once
blanketed more than 40% of the earth’s land surface now covers only 27%
of it. Most of the loss has occurred since 1950. The Indian sub-continent
alone has lost most of its forests during the last one hundred years.
India is said to be one of the 12 identified mega bio-diversity centres
in the world with its immense representation of flora and fauna, rich
resources and several hundred species of wild crops. India has over 45,000
plant species, representing about 7 percent of the world's flora and animal
species estimated at 81,000 representing about 6.4 percent of the world's
fauna.
Scientists have been expressing concern in particular about the extent
of the mass extinction of large mammals and birds across the world and
disappearance of forests in the tropics. This led them to set aside game
refuges and other demarcated areas for their protection and conservation.
We in India also followed suit with Sanctuaries, National parks and Tiger
Reserves which were set aside to 'protect' by law and with policing machinery.
Along with this also came in the Biosphere Reserve concept. Biospheres
are specially demarcated fragile areas that have a rich store of flora
and fauna. Identified as one of the few hot spots in the country, the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve came into existence in September 1986.
As a contrast to what the Biosphere Concept stood for, we see in the case
of Nilgiris district, the fragile social fabric between man and nature
has been destroyed through a series of developmental projects. The increased
cultivation, monoculture plantations and grazing have also significantly
altered the environment, degrading the ecosystem leading to soil erosion,
siltation, loss of habitat and other environmental problems. According
to reports, the Nilgiris district is one of the few districts in the country
with a large portion of its land area under forests. The extent of protected
forest (sanctuary and national parks) in the Nilgiris district constitutes
19.1% of the total forest area. What seems to be happening here is that
this small percentage of the protected forest area is also under serious
threat.
The popular notion that has been instilled in our minds is the accusation
that the common people are destroying the forests by way of collecting
firewood, starting forest fires, cattle-grazing, over exploiting their
minor forest produce and wiping out the forest biodiversity. It is true
that our forests are being threatened by the above said reasons, but what
we fail to see is that industrialisation is the causative factor for this
and the consequences have been misinterpreted as causes. In India, the
major identified threats to the forest and wildlife are encroachments,
hydroelectric projects, mining, unsustainable practices like unscientific
cultivation, tourism, construction of resorts and highways, poaching and
other developmental activities. These activities are to be viewed as the
main contributors to the increased pressure on land. Vested interests
coupled with immediate benefits have been the major motive behind such
activities. The rate of such destructive activities have increased steeply
during the past three decades and has considerably damaged our environment
as a whole and our forests in particular.
Moving from the forests, the other major issue that requires focus is
our delicate coast. According to the United Nations Office for Ocean Affairs
and the Law of the Sea, unpublished data (United Nations, New York, June
1989), our world has 586,153 Kilometres length of coastline. According
to Agenda 21 of UNCED ‘despite national, sub-regional, regional and global
efforts, current approaches to the management of marine and coastal resources
have not always proved capable of achieving sustainable development, and
coastal resources and coastal environment are being rapidly degraded and
eroded in many parts of the world’. India has a coastline of 7500 Km and
is rich in fishery resource with an estimated potential of 3.9 million
metric tonnes. Like the land, the rivers and the lakes, our seas and oceans
suffer from developmental activities. The shifting of the sea coast from
fishing to setting oil rigs, refineries, thermal, nuclear power projects,
tourism resorts, golf courses aquaculture farms and many other kinds of
large and polluting industries is happening at a fast pace.
To save our coasts from the above mentioned activities, the Coastal Regulation
Zone (CRZ), was brought in. There are certain activities which are declared
as prohibited within the CRZ. To name a few, they are setting up of new
industries and expansion of existing industries; manufacture or disposal
of hazardous substances; discharge of untreated wastes and effluents from
industries, cities or towns; dumping of ash or waste from thermal power
stations and construction activity between the Low Tide Line and High
Tide Line.
A look at our coastline will tell us that what is taking place is quite
contrary to the above stated regulations. Among various industries operating
along the coast, we are bringing into focus the aquaculture industry which
has aroused considerable debate in the country. During the recent past
a large number of private companies and multi-national corporations have
started investing in shrimp farms for it claims to have achieved the singular
distinction of earning maximum foreign exchange in the country. More than
80,000 hectares of land have been converted to shrimp farming. India's
marine export weighed in at 70,000 tonnes in 1993 and these exports are
projected to reach 200,000 tonnes by the year 2000. The shrimp farming
advocates claim aquaculture as potential savior of developing countries
because it is a short-duration crop that provides a high investment return
and enjoys an expanding market.
This industry as we see is growing rapidly, especially along the coastal
belt of India has resulted in serious environmental and social disruption.
The Supreme Court had been approached to ban aquaculture industry on the
basis that agricultural lands are being converted into commercial aquaculture
farms, which causes unemployment to the land less labourers and also loss
of cultivable land. All the farms blatantly violate the coastal zone regulation.
The farms are changing the sand dune and other natural sand/land structure
on the banks of the backwaters. This is also a violation of the coastal
zone regulation. The Supreme Court judgment of December 1996 has ordered
the closure of all the aqua-farms operating along the coast and which
falls within the CRZ. The aquaculture lobby having lost the legal battle
is presently trying to influence the policy-makers to legitimize their
existence by asking for a new understanding of their activities as agriculture
rather dm an industry. Here is another violation, no, subversion of the
legal process for vested and narrow interests.
As seen from the above, these new interests have gained preference in
the use of our natural resources. In the name of ‘development’ and revenue,
these vested interests have marginalised the forest and the marine environments.
Treaties and resolutions made all over the world are useless unless they
are implemented and the record of treaty implementation, especially by
developing countries, is not encouraging. It is time we looked into our
own policies and laws with regard to retaining our fast depleting forests
and saving our over exploited coasts. With only revenue in mind and absolute
apathy towards our resources, we are sure to lose whatever little resources
we are left with now but also for the future. If this is our attitude
towards so-called protected areas, how do we even begin to try and protect
our common legacy - this earth, which we are only trustees of on behalf
of the future generations?
Environment Days may come and go, conferences may be held and resolutions
may be passed but if laws are manipulated to satisfy our own selfish wants,
we will not achieve much.
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