Land to lab vouches for conservation

Expert Ranjit Daniels from Chennai says researches now are market driven

Conservation expert R J Ranjit Daniels on Tuesday advocated that conservation should begin from land to lab, not lab to land.

Delivering a talk on ‘Conservation debate in India’ with the help of slides, as part of conservationspeak organised by Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens here on first Tuesday of every month, Daniels who is the director of Care Earth, Chennai, despised market driven strategies that is coming in the way of real conservation of ecology.

Reacting to queries, Daniels said ‘researches promising to do good for conservation are in fact delaying conservation. Delving on such researches, Daniels said ‘the study is conducted in different atmosphere; either temperate or moderate, for the benefit of tropical regions.’ It is impossible to think of the solution in such conditions, as the research should concentrate on the lore of the particular region.

 The locals having knowledge on dealing with the wild should be given due credit recording their take, which will help set a perfect platform for good to emerge.

Daniels vehemently opposed rapid use of technology in tracking animals in the forest. Citing  an example of radio collaring the tigers, Daniels termed it as ‘market driven strategy’.

The success of the project will create demand for more such equipment. It is suffice to say ‘conservation is also driven by economists’.

Earlier elaborating on the topic, Daniels began with five Ws and one H of conservation; Why, where, what, who, when and how?

Referring to the much debated; Western ghats as eco hot spot, Daniels said ‘it’s a matter of shame’. Daniels meant that we have made the native creatures in the ghats and species of plants endemic.

Quoting George B Schaller considered as ‘Father of biology’, Daniels said ‘It is essential that each country keep its natural heritage untouched as a record for future.’
India is among the 12 of 13 countries that contribute 70 per cent of earth’s biological diversity, said Daniels.

Executive director of zoo B P Ravi, environment experts U N Ravikumar, Vasanthkumar Mysoremath and  others were present.