Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Memorial Lecture: II

National Biodivesity Conservation Board
Simultaneously, the suggestion made during 1988 by the then Task Force on
Environment of the Planning Commission that country should have a National
Biodiversity Conservation Board (NBCB) rather than Indian Board of Wildlife. Again,
mere change in name will not do. There has to be a qualitative change in the Board.
The work “wildlife” has outlived its utility. The fountainhead of inspiration of wildlife
enthusiasts all over the world has been the World Wildlife Fund. Even this rich and
powerful world non-governmental body realized the urgent need for widening its scope
and making it holistic. This body has changed its name to World – Wide Fund for
Nature.
While theoretically, wildlife means all undomesticated biota (Khoshoo, 1986), in
practice, the word wildlife has been restricted to large mammals and big cats in
particular, perhaps because of their being at the top of the food chain. The underlying
rationale has been that if the big animals are conserved, the ecosystem as a whole
would also be conserved. This is a fallacious argument (Khoshoo, 1988, 1991). This is
particularly true for India where, parallel to biological diversity, we have a tremendous
amount of cultural diversity. The biological and cultural diversities have been mutually
supportive. In fact, biological diversity has given rise to cultural divesity. Thus even in
every sense cultural diversity is a part of biological diversity. The terms of reference of
NBCB need to be drawn and periodically updated to bring in newer concerns. Such a
Board, besides over-looking management based on scientific and technological
considerations, would also take tangible steps to establish a stake of the people who
should be the guardians and protectors of the Protected Areas Network (PAN). As in the
case of the sacred groves, it should provide for an ethical and ecological stake of the
people. Such stake must be enhanced. So that people become protectors of PAN. In
this connection, it may be pointed out that community involvement such national task
poses problems, because due to short-sighted policies people are alienated. Even the
tribal and rural development and the proposed Panchayati Raj (governance by village
council) can be oriented to conservation of biodiverstiy. One way to build the stake of
the people is to ensure, on a sustainable basis, the supply of goods on which the people
of a particular protected area depend.
NCBC will need to prepare a holistic plan and overseas its implementation. The
Board’s success will, no doubt, depend on the cooperation it would receive form various
agencies.
The time is running out and action on this important aspect needs to be urgently
taken. Already, some of the developing countries like Costa Rice, Brazil and Indonesia
are well advanced in this area.
Important Action Point
• Declare biological diversity a national resource, its conservation a national goal and
its implementation a national priority.
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