Rich biodiversity is an indicator of the health of a particular habitat and its potential to sustain life. During the past few centuries biodiversity has come under tremendous pressure not only due to shifting of development paradigm but also due to the control over the resources from local to global. Probably due to this we have lost many species of flora and fauna and now many others are on the verge of extinction.
Conservation of Bio-diversity and Wildlife is an essential part of environment. Over a period of time various policies like Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (amended 1991 and 2002), Environmental Protection Act 1986 and Biological Diversity Act 2003 have been enacted to preserve and conserve the Bio-diversity. However, the premises of the policies have certain lacunas like exclusion of the human habitation from the Protected Area, the idea that co-existence of human and flora and fauna is impossible, eye washing the Conservation policy where commercial interest is concerned, etc., This not only creates conflict between human and the wildlife but is causing a huge blow to the traditional culture of the indigenous group which is on the brink of extinction.
The dominant conservation ideology and policies ignore that millions of tribals have been traditionally living in the forest and depend extensively on the natural resources for their livelihood. At least 3.5 million people are living inside the Protected Areas.. Most of them have lived in these areas before their notification as protected areas. The laws impose strict restrictions on their basic livelihood needs such as forest product collection, grazing etc. Creation of protected areas is done without any democratic consultation or participation by local people, and thereafter-strict restrictions are imposed without any compensation. This has generated resentment and antagonism towards the very concept of conservation amongst the local forest dweller, and has created major conflicts in and around protected areas.
The current conservation paradigm gives rise to several questions, like;
