Shreya Sethi is a research scholar at a premier research institute of India. She is on the verge of completing a doctorate in wildlife economics. The focus of her work lies on Laws and Policies and improving conservation efforts especially with a strong bend towards curbing illegal wildlife trade and hunting. Shreya’s research work largely centres around Central India. She shares some very interesting insights based on her personal explorations and findings.
Praveen Gupta (PG): How would the tiger and lion blend if the lion were to be introduced in Central India?
Shreya Sethi (SS): Well, there are two parts to this; on one hand, there is a case when African Lions were introduced in India (Reference Book “Life with Wildlife” by Dr. Ranjithsinh Jhala) and that story ended badly as it was poorly planned and executed reintroduction. The lions were killed by tigers due to inter-species conflict. In the current scenario, there are six proposed sites for Asiatic Lions and the most probable one for reintroduction being Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. It has close to no tigers. But I believe there is more ongoing research at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) about the interactions of tigers and lions and possible conflicts.
PG: Do we have the grasslands and the desired ecosystem for reintroducing lions and cheetahs in Central India?
SS: I was in conversation with Dr. Laurie Marker (Founder of Cheetah Conservation Fund) and Dr. Ranjitsinh Jhala on this. Yes, these animals require vast grasslands especially the Cheetah given how they hunt their prey.
I am going to answer this individually for Lions and Cheetahs.
Lion re-introduction in Central India is key for diversification of gene-pool and to maintain a healthy population of Asiatic Lions.
Lion re-introduction in Central India is key for diversification of gene-pool and to maintain a healthy population of Asiatic Lions. Further, the Central Indian landscape is the only one that comes close to its native one, so in terms of choice for reintroduction, there can be nothing better than Central India. Thus, I support the stance of Asiatic Lion re-introduction in Central India.
Cheetah’s reintroduction plan while has been ongoing for a long-time especially pushed by Dr. Ranjithsinh Jhala, I would go with the view of Dr. Laurie Marker. Her suggestion is that India should first protect and conserve what we already have – Tigers, Leopards and Lions, than take on other species. Given that the threat of poaching, habitat destruction and encroachment continues unabated finding vast pristine grassland tracks may not be viable.
Having said that, with the growing human population in fringe forest areas and otherwise, the introduction of Cheetahs might increase incidences of Human-Wildlife Conflict and lead to retaliation hunting. A re-introduction might also give false hopes that in the face of local extinction – importing species is a solution thus – undermining the conservation principles.
The introduction of Cheetahs might increase incidences of Human-Wildlife Conflict and lead to retaliation hunting… The Cheetah does not have specific ecological benefits (as long as we maintain a healthy Tiger and Leopard population) given the species has been extinct in India since 1947.
While on the flip side the reintroduction might help to generate more tourism revenue. Looking at it through a cost-benefit lens, I feel the cost of enforcement, balancing human-wildlife conflict, and needs of local communities outweigh the tourism revenues. The Cheetah does not have specific ecological benefits (as long as we maintain a healthy Tiger and Leopard population) given the species has been extinct in India since 1947.
1. Hunters/Poachers come in direct competition with the apex predator species like Leopards and Tigers, which means that in case the herbivore population decimates there would be chances of increased depredation on livestock leading to a rise in negative human-wildlife interactions or commonly called Human-Wildlife Conflict.
2. Due to excessive poaching pressures of “Predator species” (example of Panna Tiger Reserve when local Tiger population went extinct), the size of herbivore species increased due to the imbalance created in the ecological food chain.
3. Zoonotic spillovers (as evident from the current COVID-19 Pandemic).
4. Ruthless poaching of species like in case of Asian Elephants especially the Tuskers means, that only the “males” are poached leading to imbalanced propagation of a species.
5. Extinction of a specie due to excessive exploitation also, implies ecological imbalances like reduced seed dispersals and habitat changes as herbivores species like Deer and Elephants play a key role in maintaining the same.
PG: What causes more harm to our forests – poaching or hunting? Are there any unique nuances that you come across?
SS: Poaching and Hunting are terms more appropriate in an African country or countries with Legal Hunting Laws. In the case of India, Hunting and Poaching are synonymous, the law treats any harm to the Scheduled Species/ Native Species (as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972) as illegal hunting, this goes on to be as nuanced to add that even stealing bird eggs from the nest is equivalent to hunting and a punishable offence. Yet, there is a caveat about the fine or jail term which varies depending on the species in question and the location of the crime (hunting).
In the case of India, Hunting and Poaching are synonymous, the law treats any harm to the Scheduled Species/ Native Species (as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972) as illegal hunting.
Looking closely at the problem of poaching or hunting (as mentioned in the question), while prima facie the connotation of the word poaching makes it seem more harmful but, in fact, it is important to note that both poaching and hunting are harmful. Poaching is often used to denote hunting for an external demand or for wildlife trade and assumed to be operated by a nexus of criminals but, as the very grass-root any hunter (subsistence or tribal) can be pulled-into the wildlife trade chains given the large sums of money involved.
Hunting often goes unnoticed if it is of smaller / lesser-known or non-charismatic species like Wild Pigs, Spotted Deer etc. but these species are equally important to the ecological balance and often too much discussion on poaching and commonly poached species (charismatic species likes of Tiger, Pangolins) undermine the other lesser-known species. To exacerbate the problem further, there is no population census of any other species except Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, and Asiatic Lion and to some extent of Leopards in India. This makes it even more difficult to put a magnitude to the severity of hunting/poaching.
Hunting often goes unnoticed if it is of smaller / lesser-known or non-charismatic species like Wild Pigs, Spotted Deer etc. but these species are equally important to the ecological balance and often too much discussion on poaching and commonly poached species (charismatic species likes of Tiger, Pangolins) undermine the other lesser-known species.
Digressing from the wildlife conservation perspective and looking at hunting through the sociological lens and as a subsistence activity for tribals, in the past, their ways of culling a species were rooted in traditional values and by default aimed at sustainable use but, this is not the case anymore. The main things adding to this detrimental effect is:
1. Growing population pressures on even from local tribals living in forest fringes.
2. Greed for quick-money thus, making them vulnerable to be pulled-into poaching nexuses.
PG: From tigers to lesser species, a lot of hunting / poaching is attributed to the demands in China. To what extent is that a myth?
SS: Demand from China for any species in India or the world is not a myth. There are enough links available on google search database with adequate information on Chinese traditional medicines and their ingredients. The seizures that take places of species being exported to China is proof enough that it is not a myth.
This does not mean we need to point fingers at any one country – almost all countries are either sources or sinks for illegal wildlife trade products. There is demand for exotic pets from Europe, USA, and Middle Eastern countries or for luxury products like animal pelts from say the USA.
This transnational attribute of wildlife crime is what makes it complex and requires global cooperation very similar to the likes of Climate Change.
This transnational attribute of wildlife crime is what makes it complex and requires global cooperation very similar to the likes of Climate Change.
PG: What’s your take on the avifauna?
SS: Avian fauna faces multi-faceted risk due to their migratory nature, lower priority in law as compared to terrestrial mammals and also, lower population assessments but, I am optimistic as a lot of Citizen Science projects like Bird Count India are coming up as “birding” is garnering a lot of attention in the current times.
PG: The picture on fire-line reminds me of the forest fires in Australia and the US/California. How vulnerable are our forests to these?
SS: Our Dry Deciduous Forests – from Deccan to Southern India – are extremely vulnerable to Forest Fires due to high temperatures during summers and also, man-made fires. Firelines are basically made by the Forest Department by burning a part of the forest or creating a tar-road. Thus, in case of an actual forest-fire, it would break at this point instead of ravaging the whole forest at once.
PG: Any message to our fellow countrymen as to how they can contribute in preserving the flora & fauna. And how to discourage any illegal trade that triggers poaching?
SS: Quite an interesting point you have raised and this is being used as a campaign theme across the globe to reduce the anthropogenic pressures of illegal wildlife trade on wildlife. If I may add, we should never use the word preservation with regards to Flora and Fauna as the word has a negative connotation and almost implies taxidermy or preserving a dead animal or plant, sorry for being really picky about the use of the Preservation.
We should never use the word preservation with regards to Flora and Fauna as the word has a negative connotation and almost implies taxidermy or preserving a dead animal or plant.
1. Leave the Wild in the Wild: by this I mean do not try to adopt, pet, or rescue wild/ orphaned animals especially without professional help.
2. Be Responsible: During a visit to a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary, or any open Forest; follow a code of conduct especially while using cameras and flash. Do not litter around with plastic as animals often choke on chips packets and die.
For Conservation /Protection and to Discourage Illegal Wildlife Trade:
1. Do not Fuel Demand: By being a responsible citizen not buying wildlife products for pets or any other use either Indian or Exotic. Discourage your friends and relatives from doing the same.
2. Report Wildlife Crimes to concerned authorities like the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, as often a lot of these crimes go unnoticed especially exhibits of Snake Charmers, Bear Dancers, or Monkeys in an around your vicinity.
3. Be Aware: Read product labels carefully or search for information online before purchasing cosmetic products or food items like Coffee, Soya, Honey. Be aware of the product origin which could all indirectly be linked to damage to critical wildlife habitats or a species.
4. Become a part of Citizen Science Projects in Wildlife Conservation which ensure both research output and create awareness about species in our neighborhood. To quote a few like Birdcount India.
5. As a rational and responsible citizen minimise carbon-footprint by taking simple steps. Starting from reducing air, water, noise, and light pollution, using more of biodegradables, looking for alternatives in case of forest derived products like wood for furniture or paper.
Lastly, I would like to add that all species like all humans are equal in the eyes of law – a palm squirrel or a parrot are equally protected as Tigers and Leopards as per out Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. However, we often do not give enough attention in case a squirrel or myna is captured or killed and instead turn our attention to more charismatic species like Tiger, Leopards, and Elephants.
All species like all humans are equal in the eyes of law – a palm squirrel or a parrot are equally protected as Tigers and Leopards as per out Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
We need to understand there is a deep chasm of missing data in the case of the population status/estimations of lesser-known species and in a lot of cases we would not even know if they are becoming locally extinct until we actually stop seeing them around us. This has already been the case for amphibian species and re-iterated in the book Sixth Extinction.
PG: Many thanks Shreya for sharing these valuable nuances of our biodiversity. May you continue enjoying your explorations.
Times of India Blogs: December 7, 2020
In search of influence: From rubber stamp to gold standard! (indiatimes.com)
Insurers ought to be influential if they must fix the biggest risk on hand – Climate Risk! How do you bring mojo into the insurance governance space? Can the energies of once upon a time ‘can do’ frontline salesforce be transferred ‘upstairs’ to the fiduciary level? With the tremendous diversity at their disposal, can insurers be more inclusive? As governance expands into ESG, insurers not only need to urgently act on environment, be proactive and thereby gain influence. Are there any tools available within the striking distance? Corporate Governance Scorecard and Internal Carbon Pricing (CDP), two in particular that I allude to, beckon attention. Yes, insurers can be more influential, they need not be rubber stamps and must go for the gold standard of influence.
My Op-Ed in TOI Blogs today: November 26, 2020.
Cash cow at the crossroads: LIC@ 65! (indiatimes.com)
Wooing foreign capital in a backdrop of worsening #ClimateCrisis will be truly onerous for the LIC.It cannot be a life/health insurer/ manager of pensions and own big stakes in businesses with adverse environmental, societal impact. Investing in coal, for instance, is bad economics too.
It’s creation was triggered by a serious systemic failure of governance in the life industry. This time around the ambit of governance has widened to Environment, Societal and Governance. Can the LIC transform itself by imbibing ESG and Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI)? The rules of enlightened leadership have changed. Status quo is not an option either.
My Op-Ed in TOI Blogs: November 18, 2020
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/outlier/ostrich-in-the-regulatory-sandbox/: Insurance industry generally prefers to abdicate thought leadership when it comes to climate-risk. Thankfully, we can draw from climate activism leaders Greta Thunberg and Bill McKibben or thinkers like Amitav Ghosh. Here I also speak to our own climate scientist Dr. Chirag Dhara. And Michele Wucker confirms (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6734750265179815936?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A6734750265179815936%2C6736621280801419264%29) that heat waves are indeed a #grayrhino.
Transitioning or de-carbonising calls for going back to the drawing-board thereby re-visiting the nuts and bolts of our business.
TOI Blogs: November 12, 2020
It was a chance interaction with India’s greatest ornithologist some 38 plus years ago. Today marks the 124th birth anniversary of the the ‘Birdman of India’.
Through this snapshot of my conversation with him dated 1982 – published by TOI Ahmedabad edition – I look back at what he shared then. It puts in context the urgency to address the threat to biodiversity today.
Dr. Chirag Dhara is a physicist and climate scientist – a rare combination. He is currently working at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. Chirag started his academic career as a theoretical physicist with a PhD at the Institute of Photonic Sciences, Barcelona, Spain. He subsequently switched his research focus to the climate sciences with a second PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany. His larger concerns are climate impacts, environmental protection, and climate justice.
Chirag is one of the authors of India’s first comprehensive climate assessment report released three months ago, which is the regional analog of the IPCC’s global scale reports. It can be accessed at: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-981-15-4327-2.
Praveen Gupta: What are the Climate related vulnerabilities that India faces?
Chirag Dhara: A concoction of natural and human-made reasons specific to India make it particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis. High baseline summer temperatures, its varied geography over a vast area, a heavy dependence of agriculture on stable monsoons and a coastline stretching 7000 km are some.
Runaway pollution, unplanned development, a large informal economy, deforestation, insufficient disaster-preparedness, and a significant proportion of its population living in poverty are other factors adding to India’s unique vulnerability.
PG: What do you expect happening to the Indo-Gangetic belt and the Sunderbans, in particular?
CD: I believe that the Indo-Gangetic belt and the Sundarbans will be among the most affected parts of the country since multiple climate change impacts are playing out in those regions. The Indo-Gangetic plains are hot and humid. Humid heat is much more dangerous than dry heat, and a simultaneous spike in heat and humidity can significantly raise the risk of cardiovascular and neurological conditions. In fact, the deadly heat waves in the summer of 2015 across India and Pakistan, with high fatalities, were a result of the combination of high temperature and humidity that lasted several days.
Humid heat is much more dangerous than dry heat, and a simultaneous spike in heat and humidity can significantly raise the risk of cardiovascular and neurological conditions.
The Indo-Gangetic plains are projected to see higher intensity of ‘humid heat waves’ with global warming. The Sundarbans in particular is seeing a highly accelerated pace of sea level rise relative to the global average (attributed not just to global warming but also to extensive upstream damming of rivers flowing into the Sundarbans and ground water extraction). In addition, there is the propensity for cyclones, which are likely to intensity with warming.
PG: Will higher precipitation lead to both floods and droughts?
CD: Yes. It is a worldwide phenomenon that rainfall patterns are tending towards shorter intense bouts of rainfall interspersed with lengthening dry spells. The one increases the propensity for floods, and the other for droughts. In addition, higher temperatures tend to dry out soil and vegetation more, making droughts more intense and wildfires more likely.
It is a worldwide phenomenon that rainfall patterns are tending towards shorter intense bouts of rainfall interspersed with lengthening dry spells.
PG: Would the same location be faced with both – hot dry spells and excessive wet?
CD: It may well be for the reasons I’ve outlined above. But regional climate projections are a scientifically complex problem and much more work is necessary. We need more scientific groups around the country working in tandem to arrive at better assessments of regional flood and drought risk.
PG: What do your projections say about storms/hurricanes in Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea?
CD: The scientific understanding is that both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea will see a greater fraction of cyclones intensifying into the most severe categories. While such trends are already seen in the observation record, they are not yet significant enough to be attributable to anthropogenic global warming. We cannot yet discount the possibility that most of the changes seen thus far may have resulted from natural variations in the Earth’s climate. However, the fundamental science is clear and trends in cyclone intensification are expected to strengthen with continued heating.
The fundamental science is clear and trends in cyclone intensification are expected to strengthen with continued heating.
PG: How much of what manifests here would be a result of our own doing? Is it all about pollution?
CD: Most of India’s industrial era temperature rise has been attributed to rising GHGs from human activity.
The changing rainfall patterns over India on the other hand is increasingly being understood as a complex interplay between a rising tendency due to GHGs counteracted in part by the radiative (climate) effects of particulate matter pollution (what we perceive as ‘air pollution’). Hence, strong regional variations.
Flood and drought propensity are, of course, a consequence of changing rainfall patterns. In the case of floods, clear increases in the extent and pace of Himalayan glacier melt due to rapid warming will also increasingly play a role. However, an important caveat when it comes to floods is that it is also heavily dependent on the ‘developmental’ paradigm at work. Deforestation and concretisation both increase flood propensity.
As I said, it is not yet clear if the rising cyclone intensity trends seen in the observations can be attributed in part to human activity or if natural variations alone are responsible for them. It is likely that global warming has played a role but we don’t have enough information yet to draw robust conclusions.
Sea levels are rising in line with expectation from theory and models, so are robustly attributed to anthropogenic GHG emissions.
GHGs and particulate matter pollution are the key aggravators for changes in different climate variables. These rise with industrial activity.
PG: A growing population, rising aspirations would have implications for energy, infra, agriculture and livestock – these are the key Climate aggravators?
CD: GHGs and particulate matter pollution are the key aggravators for changes in different climate variables. These rise with industrial activity. There are technologies that may help in rapid reduction in particulate matter pollution. However, there is no proven technological quick fix that can rapidly reduce atmospheric GHGs. Rising industrial activity is being driven more by rising aspirations than by population. This is because population growth is highest among the lowest economic classes, which have very low carbon and resource footprints.
PG: Would afforestation help? What needs to be done and how quickly?
CD: I quote a paragraph from the last chapter of our recent book “Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region”:
Ambitious afforestation efforts offer myriad benefits. Aside from mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration, trees also enhance resilience to flash floods and landslides by improving soil retention, improve resilience to droughts by increasing percolation of surface water into the soil, improve resilience of coastal infrastructure and habitation by reducing coastline erosion due to storm surges and sea-level rise, reduce vulnerability to extreme heat by reducing ambient temperatures, and support native wildlife and biodiversity. In short, forests and urban green spaces will deliver substantial economic benefits to the country by mitigating a wide range of the expected impacts of climate change in India and is the safest, most reliable means of realising several of India’s sustainable development goals.
An ecologist would be better placed to answer how and where to make this happen.
Ambitious afforestation efforts offer myriad benefits... forests and urban green spaces will deliver substantial economic benefits to the country by mitigating a wide range of the expected impacts of climate change in India.
PG: Is there a way to quantify the precise physical risk posed by Climate risk and what kind of resilience does it call for?
CD: Certainly, but this has not been done for India to my knowledge. Quantifying risk involves quantifying regional scale impacts, and perhaps also exposure of the population in those regions. Resilience doesn’t necessarily have to be high-tech. Ahmedabad’s excellent heat action plan is an inspiration to draw from. I am certain there must be many examples around the country that deserve replication.
PG: Many thanks Chirag for these compelling insights. Here is wishing you all the very best in all your ongoing endeavours.
TOI blog: October 26, 2020
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/outlier/next-pandemic-what-can-insurers-do/
While the debate on the possible source of COVID-2019 continues – the pandemic shows no signs of an exit. Yet, scientists are already concerned about what could be the next big one. Howsoever distanced insurers may seem, they do have an important role to play. If only they begin to see the dotted line between the climate crisis and the current pandemic, as well as what possibly lies in store.
My article in today’s TOI blog: October 19th, 2020
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/outlier/insurance-ethics-a-rare-cocktail/:
The closest you come to ethics in insurance is a subdued mention of Utmost Good Faith! The ‘Cyberfication’ and digitisation of insurance and the businesses they cover – will make insurance & ethics a truly heady mix…
Praveen Gupta: The discourse on Climate Change continues to be deeply Eurocentric? Understand the likes of ‘Swatantryavaadini’ provided Kerala a strong tradition and spread?
J Devika: Yes, I tend to agree – climate change and the Anthropocene are indeed grand narratives and tend to be Eurocentric. But that does not mean that they are either all-pervasive or impervious to local interpretation. The effects of chaotic climate are felt everywhere in the world for sure, and we draw upon resources from all over to make sense of it. The climate change discourse is only one such. A great strength of environmental activism in India has been that it has refused to take its eyes away from the local and regional context, even as it engages with global discourses, and all this it does with considerable critical acumen.
A great strength of environmental activism in India has been that it has refused to take its eyes away from the local and regional context, even as it engages with global discourses, and all this it does with considerable critical acumen.
Swatantryavaadini is a collection of the writings of early twentieth century feminists – or women whose writings qualify to be called feminist. Again, feminism is a global discourse, and its Eurocentrism has been challenged repeatedly from the margins. If you look at this work, you will notice the complexity of transnational exchanges which do not fit into a simple coloniser/colonised binary.
PG: Have the recent devastating floods led to increased activism?
JD: In Kerala, I cannot really say that it has. It should have led to a wholesale rethinking of our recent development trajectory from an ecological perspective. Given the claims about Kerala’s left traditions, many expected this. But no. The truth is that the very little is left about the Left, and the new economic rightwing orientation of the government can hardly see the importance of ecological stability in capitalist growth.
There is growing fear, however, among more and more sections of people, about rampant destruction of the environment, but there is little commitment among them to heal the damage through changing lifestyles. There is even denial of ecological destruction.
It has been the other way round: for example, rock quarrying, which was identified by scientists of the Kerala Forest Research Institute as contributing heavily to the destruction of the Western Ghats and exacerbating the damages done by the floods, has only been further encouraged in the state. And people protesting rock quarrying – local people, that is – have been handled quite roughly. There is growing fear, however, among more and more sections of people, about rampant destruction of the environment, but there is little commitment among them to heal the damage through changing lifestyles. There is even denial of ecological destruction.
PG: What drives the affected people into a self-denial mode? Does this aspect of climate psychology or sociology mellow down activism?
JD: From our research on the local self-government’s response to heavy, persistent industrial pollution at the island of Eloor in Kochi, it appeared to me that the insights of environmental psychology about denial of environmental destruction are very valuable indeed, especially for those of us who desire to change mindsets. The response of residents to environmental pollution at Eloor closely resembles that which has been called ‘socially-organised denial’ in the literature on climate change denial.
The response of residents to environmental pollution at Eloor closely resembles that which has been called ‘socially-organised denial’ in the literature on climate change denial.
It is now widely agreed that the ‘information-deficit’ model of climate change denial which claims that better and more accessible, scientifically grounded, reliable information will convince people is not adequate to make sense of denial – that is, knowledge is necessary, but may not be sufficient. For instance, some sociologists and psychologists now argue that the apparent indifference of people in the face of a veritable flood of information and knowledge of climate change may be a form of grieving.
Psychologists studying climate change denial point out that the increased perception of death-risk that ‘risk society’ allows may actually activate ‘distal defenses’ which keep death thoughts unconscious – and one form they take is of bolstering the existing world-view even when it is not sustainable in plain view. In our interviews at Eloor, we were struck by the fact that elected members almost never volunteered to broach the topic of pollution until we suggested it explicitly to them; there was much diffidence about speaking of it. From our data, it appears that both the ‘proximal’ and ‘distal’ defenses that Dickinson talks about seem to be at work at Eloor.
I am talking about just one site in Kerala, but this maybe at work on a much larger scale.
PG: What is happening at Eloor and why could the community around the Periyar river not mobilise corrective action?
JD: In Eloor, industrial pollution has been a constant, severe problem since the 1970s at least, and though there was activism there against it, and though this activism caught much attention in Kerala and even reached global forums, it was unable to change local mindsets. In fact, the activists here were even able to be part of the Local Area Action Committee set up under the aegis of the Supreme Court to stop the chemical pollution of the river and for two years, they wielded considerable influence. However, this did not translate into widespread acceptance of the activists’ stance on the environment.
People who grew up there were nostalgic not for Nature but for national public industrial culture. The activists, however, had roots in the earlier farming and fishing livelihood culture which was exactly the opposite!
Part of the reason for this is to be found in the local history of Eloor – it was the hub of nationalist industrialisation from the 1950s, which once embodied the Nehruvian idea of industrialisation. People who grew up there were nostalgic not for Nature but for national public industrial culture. The activists, however, had roots in the earlier farming and fishing livelihood culture which was exactly the opposite! But there were other reasons as well. Civil social activism, especially intervention, in Eloor was (a) made possible from above, through the intervention of the Supreme Court, and (b) technical in nature. The activists were also dogged by the fact that they were fighting both public and private sector chemical industries – and were up against the combined power of all the major trade unions, and not just the large private corporates.
PG: Who are the major defaulters? Are these state-owned industries?
JD: In Eloor, yes. And that is a huge hurdle.
PG: The Silent Valley was one of the early high-profile projects that drew major ire of environmentalists. To what extent did they succeed?
The Silent Valley struggle was perhaps the major success story as far as environmental struggles in Kerala are concerned... on the one hand, ecologists and popular science activists advanced different sorts of scientific and technical arguments, and on the other hand, poets and writers created new metaphors that ignited people’s imagination and gave them the power to ask fundamental ethical questions.
JD: The Silent Valley struggle was perhaps the major success story as far as environmental struggles in Kerala are concerned. This success was the result of the fact that what began as a technical discourse was expanded into a much larger discourse that posed fundamental questions about human beings’ ethical relationship to the non-human. This was done by the poets and writers who joined the movement. So on the one hand, ecologists and popular science activists advanced different sorts of scientific and technical arguments, and on the other hand, poets and writers created new metaphors that ignited people’s imagination and gave them the power to ask fundamental ethical questions.
PG: Kerala has 100% literacy and a communist government; you still witness major environmental breaches? Is activism not community led?
JD: Well, neither literacy nor communism guarantees good sense about the human future, especially our ecological future. The activist community is under threat in Kerala. Ecological activism is increasingly dubbed anti-people, Maoist, a foreign conspiracy and so on, like elsewhere in India. Only that a much larger public sphere – and one with many folds – assures that these threats are not always successful. The government however simply ignores activist voices – and encourages terrible disaster – for instance, Adani’s ongoing ecological misadventure at Vizhinjam which is wiping out Thiruvananthapuram’s beaches and threatening several coastal hamlets. The government was forewarned of this disaster many times by activists and scientists, but it all fell on deaf ears. The meager disaster relief doled out in times of crisis are little relief, they are even a mockery…
The activist community is under threat in Kerala. Ecological activism is increasingly dubbed anti-people, Maoist, a foreign conspiracy and so on, like elsewhere in India.
PG: Despite close co-existence with nature unlike why do we still see environmental depredation in Kerala?
JD: Close co-existence with nature in Kerala was once an integral part of life here; but no more, except among our ecosystem people. Only part of the environmental activism in Kerala could be called that fueled and led by ecosystem people. The rest (including the Silent Valley Campaign) is largely middle-class. In the 1980s, there were two streams: you could perhaps call them the Romantic and the Rationalist. Of these, the Romantic stream urged people to examine ethical questions on their relation to non-human life, created new myths and metaphors that built a new imagination and cosmology, and often relied on a prelapsarian idea of Nature. The Rationalist was more inclined to treat Nature as a resource, and so favoured cost-benefit analysis and technical approaches. Both these were advanced by the middle-class and centred on conservation.
The rise of environmental justice struggles throughout the state – around many issues including sand mining, granite quarrying, waste dumping, water shortages, wetland destruction, chemical poisoning (Endosulfan) and so on – was not accompanied by a reimagination of environmental activism.
In the 1990s and after, with greater consumption and resource predation, questions of environmental justice became equally or more important. But as this was deepening, the official response (evident in Kerala’s experiment with decentralised planning for development) was of ‘resource mapping’, focusing on sustainable use alone. The rise of environmental justice struggles throughout the state – around many issues including sand mining, granite quarrying, waste dumping, water shortages, wetland destruction, chemical poisoning (Endosulfan) and so on – was not accompanied by a reimagination of environmental activism. So, these continue to be fragmented though numerous throughout the state, slowing down the neoliberal juggernaut, but not stopping it.
PG: Is increasing frequency of wild elephant deaths a manifestation of human animal conflict?
JD: Yes indeed. Such conflict has been discussed since the 1920s at least when plantations expanded in Kerala. Now however, the problem is far more than wild elephant intrusion. The human-animal interface has narrowed alarmingly, and so we see wild animals far away from forests, seeking food in waste dumps and preying on crops. Wild boars, for example, are roaming around towns; wild otters are now all over in thickly populated river sides far away from forests. , and so we see wild animals far away from forests, seeking food in waste dumps and preying on crops. Wild boars, for example, are roaming around towns; wild otters are now all over in thickly populated river sides far away from forests.
The human-animal interface has narrowed alarmingly… Diseases like the monkey fever, once localised in the Karnataka Western Ghats, now appear in Wayanad. This affects not just human beings, but also animals. People turn hostile (especially when mechanisms for compensation are sluggish and inadequate) and plant traps or poison animals.
Diseases like the monkey fever, once localised in the Karnataka Western Ghats, now appear in Wayanad. This affects not just human beings, but also animals. People turn hostile (especially when mechanisms for compensation are sluggish and inadequate) and plant traps or poison animals. But poisoning also occurs when wild boar and gaur forage waste dumps near human habitations; such cases have also been reported.
PG: My best wishes for all the amazing work that you do, Devika!
TOI Blogs: October 9, 2020
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/outlier/a-case-for-health-insurance-mutuals-and-cooperatives/: There could not be a better timing for self help groups (#SHGs) to design, setup and run own safety network/s for their health insurance needs. A nod for health mutuals/ cooperatives has the potential to revolutionise delivery of health insurance at the #bottomofthepyramid.
The Diversity Blog 