Consultation on Bio Diversity Strategy for Rajasthan

Before talking about the proceedings of the consultation in Jodhpur, I would briefly talk about the Outilne of the Strategy & Action Plan by Rajasthan Institute of Public Administration (RIPA), that was circulated as a discussion note a fortnight before this meeting.

To begin with, I must say that the Document is hardly a strategy and much less an action plan- it has no defined objectives in any time fame. It does not mention the actors involved (or to be involved in the execution of this strategy) except the omnipresent state (whose workings and understanding are problematic in many ways). One major flaw in the Document is that it completely ignores and bypasses the different communities or any other forms of associations that are responsible for conserving and using the bio-diversity of the Thar. Now whether that omission is deliberate or is an act of ignorance, RIPA only would know better. The there is no differentiation made between bio diversity use by the desert communities and by the industry. Following this the issue of control over natural resources is alluded to in a highly simplistic manner. We are living at living in the 21^st century and surely a more complex mentioning of the interplay of the various institutions of the state, industry, different communities and classes in the society would have furthered our understanding of the use, control and regeneration of the bio diversity of the Thar. The kind of ‘state’ that comes out in the RIPA Document is very idyllic, pristine and smacks of an historical anachronism of mistaking it to be like the ancient state.

The whole issue of bio diversity conservation also is a moral and ethical enquiry – we are dealing with the de-sacralization of nature and commercialization of natural resources. In this regard, we, in a Third world country like India have to contend with the issue of bio piracy! What is the value of bio diversity! Can it be only calculated in economic values alone! These are questions of importance for dealing with mass bio regulations and promoting sustainable farming practices. Perhaps it would have been more scientific to talk about species diversity and their extinction and about the depletion of genetic diversity. We get no reference to these terms. UNEP papers and documents remain out of the purview when policies and strategies are spelt out in the Document.

There is no mention of pastoralism especially as it is understood and practiced by different communities living in the Thar. Only on p.7 there is a reference to the issue of ‘reducing grazing pressure’ and ‘livestock breed improvement’. Surely RIPA needs to educate itself on this. Several new studies and field research by different people and agencies in India as well as abroad have pointed out that there is more to the issue of pastoralism than ‘overgrazing’ and ‘breed improvement’. This is crucial to understand for a region like Thar where resource use and bio diversity conservation practices associated with pastoralism are of seminal importance in regulating bio diversity use and protection.

The coming in of the IGNP canal has been possibly the greatest change introduced in the bin diversity and ecology of the Thar in the last quarter of the 20t century. The Document does not suggest any particular measures understand and address the drastic changes. There is a mention of the concerns about IGNP on p’9 ‘developing informed policies and guidelines’ for ‘checking’ and ‘monitoring’ ecological changes. For a project that has deeply changed the very notions of bio diversity resource use and conservation held by the communities, this is a very mild consolatory gesture indeed!

To sum up, it has been tried to put everything in the Document. The Document lacks a clear focus, a defined purpose. As it stands the Document needs to be narrowed to a few specific rubrics based solely on the criteria of ‘management’. The question of bio diversity is not as prominent as it is made out to be since most of it is already known. However bio piracy is in need of more attention and demands greater resistance from people who are gravely imperiled and disturbed. Instead of opening up bio reserves to huge bio technological firms for appropriation, intensive public advocacy is the need of the hour. Rajasthan RIPA can surely take this up in earnest.

The Consultation organized by Oxfam was an opportunity for NGOs in western Rajasthan to at least become aware of what is transpiring at the state level on an issue as crucial as bio diversity conservation and protection.

The IRDP programme of Oxfam and the partner NGOs in the Thar deals with issues of natural resource use and livelihoods of vulnerable groups. How to devise strategies for long term consolidation / drought proofing and to avoid relapsing into emergency drought relief year after year has been the defining philosophy for Oxfam, so told Savio Carvalho, the Oxfam programme manager.

In the consultation the first half was a kind of monologue- a display of scientific rhetoric marshaled by RIPA. In the presentations of various scientists, what was interesting was that they very rarely would refer to the active role of the different desert communities in preservation of the rich and unique bio-diversity of the Thar. The presentations done with all the modern gadgetry of laptops, slides, visual display of multi colour charts and photographs emphasized the ‘uniqueness of the Eco-System of the Thar’ as compared to the other arid regions of the world. What was also mentioned though in passing was the fact that the Indian Thar has had the longest and most populous human history. But the implications of this long and pervasive human presence for the use, loss and conservation of bio- diversity were issues not really dwelt on by any of the speakers. What was really appalling and surprising was that there was practically no discussion about the role of bio technology, issues linked to bio-piracy vis-à-vis bio-diversity and its conservation / protection. In fact one of the scientists lamented on the poor and backward state of knowledge, about bio-technology in particular, amongst the scientific community in Rajasthan.

In the second half there were presentations by two NOG / CBO representatives. Both of them talked about the catastrophic changes coming in the relation of the communities with the bio – diversity. Chatar singh talked about the diminishing grasslands in the Ramgarh (Jaisalmer) area. These grasslands still represent one of the finest specimens of bio diversity in the Thar and there is an urgent need for giving them proper protection. Madhavan talked about the concerns of erratic productivity, loss of older resource base strategies and the predominance of market based seeds as well as manures. All this in a context in which prices of agricultural produce have become uncertain is creating a very precarious set of conditions for communities surviving in the Thar.

In the last session that was an open house, it came out quite clearly that there have been many gaps in the consultative process adopted by RIPA assured that they would correct this before getting down to any kind of further validation from the Document. The meeting ended with an assurance by RIPA to circulate the Document in Hindi and begin a dialogue.

The NGO representative had come to the consultation with a mix of set of feelings. The field NGOs are used to taking these kind of consultations with apathy and indifference, for something very rarely comes out of these big events. For some participating in them is just like a ritual. Yet there are some who come to these meetings with some hope in the future for the communities. The issue of protecting and conserving bio diversity in the Thar actually is not a new one and definitely has a lot of significance for the livelihood and survival of communities in Thar today.

This consultation was organized by Oxfam & NBSAP (GoI), RIPA (GoR), Jodhpur, 18 february 2002

This article appeared in Drishtikon, A Newsletter on Livelihoods and Advocacy, AZERC, URMUL Trust & IRDP Oxfam, November 2002