By Dr Anand Kumar Srivastava
“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – MK Gandhi
“To me the sea is a continual miracle, the fishes that swim, the rocks, the motion of waves, the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there?” – Walt Whitman
Wildlife conservation means protecting and preserving flora and fauna growing naturally. We know that we have enormous wealth in our forests in terms of animals, birds, reptiles, mammals and a variety of vegetation. This is uncultivated and undomesticated; it grows naturally and spontaneously. It is an essential part of our ecosystem and plays a vital role in maintaining the equilibrium of the universe. It is valuable and indispensable for our survival also. It has a well-defined and crucial role to play in the scheme of things.
Unfortunately, human beings are using wildlife ruthlessly and unmindfully in the age of industrialisation and globalisation. The commercialisation and materialistic approach towards wildlife has endangered thousands of species of birds, animals, reptiles and mammals. Forests are destroyed for timber, urbanisation and for medicinal purposes; animals are hunted without control. The natural habitats of animals are destroyed on a large scale for a variety of purposes. Man is destroying wildlife faster than it can grow and maintain a balance in the ecosystem of the universe. It is high time to take a serious view of the situation and take appropriate actions in order to conserve and protect them to sustain, both, our ecosystem and human life on this planet.
The Government of India passed the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1972 and it was updated in 2003. The act was discussed in detail by members of Parliament. It has all details regarding constituting different bodies at different levels to protect and maintain wildlife. But it is unfortunate that poachers and the erratic race for urbanisation and commercialisation for short term gains have made the situation from bad to worse.
Deforestation has endangered the lives of many precious and rare species of birds and animals. Many species of animals like rhinoceros, tigers and elephants are on the verge of extinction. There is a big list of varieties of butterflies, reptiles and birds which are extinct now and rainforests are continuously attacked by poachers who wish to earn huge money by killing precious animals and other creatures. All parts of animals’ bodies like skin, tusk, bones and flesh are used in different ways and have good commercial value. It is blatantly obvious that the overpopulation of human beings demands deforestation for urbanisation, and it is snatching animals’ habitats mercilessly. Overexploitation of rain forests has been instrumental in global warming and climate change.
The government has been trying to stop deforestation, and several laws and rules have been framed to protect our forests. But the role of the common person is very important in this matter. Unless there is a responsible initiative from the ordinary folk, this menace can’t be stopped. All policies of the government can be successful only when there is awareness in public to conserve wildlife. Ever more NGOs should come forward and spread awareness in this matter of universal interest. In addition to this, serious and continuous efforts should be taken by the government, NGOs and the public to plant the maximum number of trees to stop further loss.
In the scheme of nature, one thing is connected to another. Deforestation leads to the melting of glaciers and global warming. Then rivers, ponds and other natural water resources start drying leading to crises of drinking water and irrigation of agricultural fields. Preserving and protecting the natural environment and wildlife along with sustainable utilisation and maintenance of all resources can help us in fixing the ecological system.
We know that seventy percent of our planet is covered with water. Hence, marine life has a vital role to play in ecosystems. It provides us with food, water and helps in regulating the climate change process. But it is again regrettable that human actions guided by sheer avarice and short-term gains have endangered marine life. The increase in CO2 is causing acidification, which adversely affects aquatic life. Oceans are natural habitats to millions of species; many of them are not known to us or they are mysteries for human beings. The diversity of marine life is a matter of joy, curiosity and fascination. Oceans absorb about thirty percent of carbon dioxide.
The marine ecosystem plays an important role in our economy as sea food is the livelihood of millions of people across the globe. Similarly, sea tourism and transportation are part and parcel of trade and commerce. In other words, the global economy is largely dependent on oceans and sea routes are the lifeline of international trade supporting the economy of several nations.
It is our prime duty to protect marine creatures and also keep the oceans clean. Again, the contribution of the people is significant. Education and awareness will play a crucial and vital role. Single use plastic should be banned on beaches and in oceans as they are not degradable and suffocate many marine creatures to death. Water bottles, plastic bags and straws, etc., spoil the cleanliness. Over-fishing and indiscriminate use of other sea resources damage the purity of sea water. It is seen that factories release their waste into the sea and rivers. This is highly objectionable, and the culprits should be severely punished for such bizarre deeds.
In conclusion, we can say that we are already living in a very fragile and staggering ecosystem, and the world is facing numerous problems like global warming and the scarcity of various natural resources. We have to learn to share the resources of this planet with other wild and marine creatures. Every creature has a role to play in maintaining the equilibrium of the universe. We also don’t have any other planets to move to if we spoil and make our earth uninhabitable.
“There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay
(Dr AK Srivastava is Principal, DAV Inter College, Dehradun.)
