Albeit it is a necessity to develop infrastructure in the changing times with great emphasis on accommodating rising population and fulfilling the economic goals of people...infrastructure development combined with use and misuse is proving to be a terrible scourge on our wildlife. It is shaping our lives as power-hungry and luxury-seeking aliens that eventually will have to create a glass bubble to survive once the atmospheric equilibrium is completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
Before we extrapolate further few questions arise?
Why does humanity go against Nature and Environment? Are we aliens?
Why do humans mistreat wild animals? Do we suffer from an animal phobia?
Why there is always a man-animal conflict?
Answers to these questions are not difficult to understand but the solutions are difficult to implement because we do not care. In the confrontation between personal greed and sacrifice the former wins heads up.
Our economic goals override wildlife and environment conservation. The priority of the States follows these norms as well in the grab of economic achievements. There is no signboard that says the buck stops here.
Machinations surpass rules and regulations, and political infringement leads to a bending of green environmental laws...even the courts are not able to hinder because of same-page thinking (often). To this worst is added our negative outlook and attitude towards all life forms leaving aside the natural resources at our behest squealing for mercy. When the Earth has been torn apart for greed mining takes place leaving in its wake an agonizing trail of death and destruction of nature nurtured for eons destroyed in a few Universal seconds. The damage to nature is often irreparable a sad story permanently imprinted in the annals of human history on Earth. This gives rise to the question. Are we aliens with total disregard for this extraterrestrial conquest?
For some tearing apart strips from remaining forests is an economical adjustment while the death of a tiger by accident is a sad story no more. It is not a cause for concern that could lead to amelioration and save precious wildlife...killed by our speed highways. The constant death of wild animals by electrocution and poisoning also ends up as a story for the newsmonger, not a major cause of concern. There is an endless trail of death that is decimating our wilderness painfully slow, yes slow enough to mitigate the concern.
The recent brutalization of the Gangetic Dolphins is a shameful reflection of our attitude towards other life forms. The brutalization of leopards, sloth bears, and tigers are not newsmakers anymore for it happens...a price for survival in a human-dominated ecosystem. Ironically we readily berate laws that violate minority status but we do not bring into the same purview the status of other life forms in the country.
Extolling Vedic ethos that values conservation and veneration of life forms is limited to political discourses whenever hustings are near. But so less weight does environmental issues carry in India the discourses are becoming hearsay.
The decimation of wildlife in India is a cause for a National Discourse in order to lead to factual solutions that are implemented truthfully and sincerely. This discourse never happens because our National priorities differ simply put wildlife conservation is an issue of the least concern.
So imperative is the need to develop concrete structures for urbanization and to generate wealth through enterprises we are even putting our lives at risk. The complaints of polluted air and climate change are a constant in our lives now. No activities that maintain the continuity of our exploitative lifestyle but are inimical to the environment are considered as harmful anymore. There is no time to stop looking and go. No time for the realization of our wrongdoings in order to keep up with our rabid lifestyle. All it needs is a push and pull to keep fulfilling our greed and justifying our attitude towards other life forms and the environment.
India does care about the mega species as a National priority through conservation initiatives like Project Tiger and so on. But is this enough holistic conservation ethos and concern for the environment is the public domain. We the people should strive to rectify anomalies in our system as well as in our attitude and values systems. Perhaps we should return to Vedas.
At present, our value system is of the least concern as far as other life forms are concerned and the environment. We are paying a price, the global rise in temperature, the melting of ice on the poles, pollution, zoonotic disease, and the imminent extinction of many species that will impact our environment for sure.
Wait till our children grow up, they will certainly lament the neglect for destruction is a daily occurrence now. Hopefully, the next-gen cares about nature and preserves whatever is left!
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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues.
He also provides SEO and Website Content in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur in the summer.
He can be contacted at:
Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Mob: 09755089323
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