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| Wildlife: States have to walk the talk | |
| IT was a relief to read of the
passing of the amendments to the Wildlife Act of 1972 in Parliament.
Congratulations to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and
the long list of persons involved, especially the wildlife department and
various stakeholders. Environmental issues are crucial and demand the
highest attention from the authorities, especially our policy makers and
enforcers. To provide acceptable long-term solutions, we need to go deep
into the current shortfalls, weaknesses and inadequacies by comparing them
with nations we wish to emulate, before we can propose measures.
Legislation is not the only issue as finance can be a big challenge, too. Involvement and empowerment of the various key stakeholders are vital and there is a need to have a focus team to tackle enforcement issues holistically. Environmental changes, especially deforestation, have led to several major issues, including extinction of wildlife, native families being displaced and climate change, among others. If, for instance, we plan to double the number of tigers, we have to be realistic on whether the current hectares of forest are adequate to accommodate a sustainable win-win situation where they can flourish. Are the states willing to gazette more forests as national parks and reserves, and allocate more land for preservation and conservation? Should enforcement units be rewarded for seizure of poached wildlife and prosecution of offenders? It is a dangerous job, considering that poachers use cutting-edge tools and weapons, and are well connected in the underworld. States have to walk the talk and make a commitment on these issues. There are several areas of conflict that require the direct involvement of the federal and state bodies. At present, it is scary to think of the lack of political will towards the environment, especially with regard to enforcement and prosecution. There is more talk than action. We need champions in these areas from the government, civil society and non-governmental organisations and not just superficial CSR (corporate social responsibility) events. Perhaps the corporate sector can lend its expertise in areas of integrity, implementation of projects and allocation of resources and sharing statistical problem solving techniques, like Six Sigma. Perhaps, the Economic Planning Unit should initiate such moves with the state bodies and private sector. HARBAN SINGH
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