Of the vanishing wild

India — the land of the tiger’s royal mystique, where the elephant strides in mighty glory and the peacock dances to the thunderous beat of the monsoon; India, since the age of memory and myth, has been a haven for creatures of the wild; creatures of beauty, grace and power, a nation that has always recognised wildlife as an inexorable facet of its eclectic existence.

Our generation however, has witnessed the wilderness being mowed down to make way for development. Fields replaced forests, woods were severed for timber and mountains were broken to mine for ores.

Today, only 9 per cent of our once widespread forests remain, with a mere 3 per cent being protected, and many species  on the brink of extinction. The 1970s saw an attempt to stop this destruction by the introduction of several stringent legal measures such as the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 with rigorous crackdown on anti wildlife elements and policies.

Sadly, the last couple of decades saw a dilution of preservationist policies and a shift in public interest from wildlife to people and a compromised philosophy of conservation going by the tenuous euphemism of community conservation.

Simultaneously, the spectrum of issues with direct or indirect relevance to wildlife conservation has expanded and therefore now calls for greater inventiveness and structured understanding of the socio-political times we live in, to be better equipped to design and maintain conservation paradigms. In such times, there has been an increasing need to encourage the participation of a wider spectrum of society in understanding these issues and thereby playing a greater role in their resolution.

The age of wildlife science

The last few years have also witnessed a resurgence of interest in wildlife, especially among the youth. Wildlife and conservation biology, a long neglected field in India, is no more a closed book.  Just like medicine, economics or sociology, the need for scientific study of wildlife is being recognised and appreciated by the current generation, both as a necessity and a field of interest.

An interesting offshoot of the growth of wildlife and conservation biology as a science is the enthusiastic youth support in research and conservation-related activities. Opportunities for volunteer activities train wildlife enthusiasts in forest etiquette, understanding and respecting wild animals and instilling in them a reverence for the ways of the forest.

Working with research teams, in adherence to the strict protocol of the respective studies, hones the skills required to be able to walk through forests, stay in wild areas with bare necessities and appreciate the practical difficulties of data collection.  It offers an insight into the science of wildlife biology and inculcates a respect for scientific rigour.

Promoting volunteer activities provide a forum for green enthusiasts to interact with senior scientists, conservationists and committed forest department officials. It is an opportunity to appreciate the nuances of conservation battles that have been fought by veterans. Primarily, fiery enthusiasm to contribute to conservation is tempered with a more sound and plausible practical outlook.  

A volunteer forum such as this also helps youngsters to explore options for careers in wildlife science and conservation and gives them a chance to translate their passion into a vocation. For those who do not wish to pursue science, participating as volunteers allows them to contribute to other activities such as conservation education, outreach and awareness campaigns, and rescue and rehabilitation programmes.

The role of the civil society

The internet has brought the world much closer and allows us to share information and interact at an advanced level, in understanding and keeping track of civil society issues. In an age when civil society participation is the norm in fields ranging from health to governance, widespread public awareness is a must for raising awareness against practices and policies that are harming wildlife.

Be it the successful closure of KIOCL mining in Kudremukha National Park or facilitating voluntary resettlement of 16 villages out of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, some of the instrumental people who enabled these conservation realities were those honed by volunteer programmes.

 Our rapidly diminishing wildlife needs all the support it can get, and programmes that can teach an enthusiast the importance of science-based conservation through voluntary work. In the same vein, students and professionals alike should come forward to volunteer for government and NGO-run programmes and research projects to get a first-hand experience of the realities of wildlife biology and conservation.