Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or planet.

Biodiversity is the result of 3.5 billion years of evolution. Total number of species on Earth: 8.7 million of which 2.1 million live in the ocean. New species are regularly discovered (on average between 510,000 new species each year. Diversity appears to increase continually in the absence of natural selection.

Biodiversity services are the suite of benefits that ecosystems provide to humanity. These services come in three flavours:
Provisioning services which involve the production of renewable resources (e.g.: food, wood, fresh water) Regulating services which are those that lessen environmental change (e.g.: climate regulation, pest/disease control) Cultural services represent human value and enjoyment (e.g.: landscape aesthetics, cultural heritage, outdoor recreation)

The period since the emergence of humans has displayed an on-going biodiversity reduction and an accompanying loss of genetic diversity. The reduction is caused primarily by human impacts, particularly habitat destruction, overpopulation, overexploitation, global warming and POLLUTION. Rapid environmental changes typically cause mass extinctions.

A CLOSER LOOK AT HOME

India is one of 12 mega bio diversity countries of the world and one of the four in Asia

It houses about a tenth of worlds species 2 out of the 25 bio diversity hotspots are in India Eastern Himalayan Region and The Western Ghats

The faunal diversity comprises 2500 fishes, 150 amphibians, 450 reptiles, 1,200 birds, 850 mammals and 68,000 insects.

See The Western Ghats for instance.

It is one among worlds 8 hottest biodiversity hotspots. UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage Site for its rich biodiversity.

Critically Endangered

Endangered

Vulnerable

Endemic

Total

Mammals
Birds

3
2

7
1

21
12

16
16

137
508

Reptiles
amphibians

0
16 12

1
28 54

3
15 31

124
159 189

203
181 290

Fishes

200 globally threatened species, but only 10 percent of Western Ghats area comes under protected category.

Why is it happening ?

Lack of awareness about woes facing India's biodiversity

Inaccessibility of resources for getting that knowledge

Lack of awareness about what is at stake

Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies that, "The state shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country"

Article 51-A states that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.

Evolution of Environmental Laws and Policies

PreIndependence Period
The Shore Nuisance (Bombay-Kalova) Act, 1893 the Bengal Smoke Nuisance Act, 1905 Indian Forest Act 1927

The Factories Act, 1948 From Independence to the The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 Stockholm Conference, 1947 1972 The River Boards Act, 1956

From Stockholm Conference to the Bhopal Disaster, 1972-1984

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

The Environment (Protection) Act 1986 Bhopal Tragedy to the 1998, 1984 to The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991

1998

1998 to Present

The Municipal Solid Wastes Rules, 2000 The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Principle Actors in Pollution Control

Ministry of Environments and Forests Central Pollution Control Board State Pollution Control Board Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Government of India Environmental Information Services Department of Environments in State Technical Institutions and Survey Institutes NGOs and Environmental Activists

How far the Government is Successful?

Ambient standards of air and water pollution continue to be routinely exceeded and in some places quality has distinctly deteriorated Certain hiatus between the macro goals of our environmental policy and the micro nature of operational provisions for enforcement of the policy In India, the administered prices of many private goods do not reflect their social scarcity values. Lack of recognition of vital role of biodiversity Unavailability of Investments Failure in management of Common Property Resources

What is needed?
The government must make a transparent and conscious assessment of the trade off between efficiency and equity in the matter of environmental policy The government can provide an enabling environment to community based organizations to participate in the management of local commons and in the enforcement of environmental laws and rules Greater reliance should be placed on the use of economic instruments for environmental protection Access and Benefit sharing as an incentive to preserve biodiversity

Kalpavali
Kalpavali- A tree which offers boon. Falls into Pendukoda and Dharmavarm revenue divisions of Anantpur district. Was a barren and hilly land extent of 7200 acres before 1992. Anantapur-one of the dry districts in India

Prone to drought in every two-three years.

District has non-perennial rivers originating from Karnataka. Rain-fed/dry agriculture is the most important economic activity Identified among 31 regions as being prone to agriculture-related suicides.

Kalpavali1992

Timbaktu Collective
Started in 1990 by Mr Bablu Ganguly and Ms Mary Vattamattam. Work in Four Thematic Areas: 1. Eco restoration and Natural regeneration of wilderness. 2. To create spaces and learning centres for children 3. Empowerment of Women 4. Rights and entitlement of Physically Handicapped. In 1992 with support of IGSSS(Indo Global Social Service Society) , Timbaktu Collective started Natural Regeneration of wilderness project also called Kalpavalli Project. Project started with 150 acres and expanded to 7000 acres of degraded common land by 2006.

The Beginning (1992)

Work in progress
Soil and Water Conservation

Training Shepherds

Farm Ponds Construction

Stone Wall Protection & Boundary Demarcation

Eco-restoration works
Year 1993 - 95 1995 - 99 Name of Donor Agency for Eco-restoration Approximate Value IGSSS BILANCE 500,000 2200,000

1999 - 00
2002 - 03 2003 - 06 Total Year 1994 - 95 1998 99

SOMNEED
Friend Contributions DBU

100,000
100,000 5000,000 7,900,000

Name of Govt. Programme for Ecorestoration Employment guarantee scheme Watershed Programmes by NABARD

Approximate Value 20,00,000 1,500,000

2001 - 02
2002 - 05 2009 - 12 Total

Food for work

Watershed Programmes by APRLP CPR activities by MGNERGS

2,000,000
500,000 52,000,000 56,000,000

Total investment : Rs 20 Crores corresponding to Rs 27,000/acre

Benefits
Higher water table and perennial streams Home to 324 floral and 135 faunal species Economic benefits to local community
Sales of broom : Rs 18000 in four months for 240 families. Sales of dates : Rs 16000 in three months for 160 families. Grazing land for 40,000 sheeps and 4000 cart load of fodder grass.

Energy For The World

Launched in India in 1984 German Market leader in Wind turbines Operated across 30 countries and combined capacity of 10.4 GW i.e upto 10100 turbines In India, 1060 MW of Power at 32 locations across India through 1882 Turbines Enercon Wind Farms of Madhya Pradesh visited Kalpavalli

How Could They?

New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd (NREDCAP) Enforces Energy Conservation Act 2001 Permitted Enercon Wind Farms to setup 20 MW of Wind Power at Nallakonda, Anantapur

What did the People Say?

Gave a Recommendation to the Govt. through the FPCs to allot the land only for Forest Protection Rallies were staged and petitions submitted to Mandal Revenue Officers, Revenue Divisional Officers, Joint Collector, District Collector, MLA, Ministry of Forest, Environment and Science and Technology

Promises made to the People

Jobs for the unemployed youth Better education facilities for children Legal titles for the land to VSC members Extensive plantation in the Kalpavalli areas

What was the response?

They did not believe the promises Gopal made a presentation to the Andhra Pradesh State Bio Diversity Board APSBB is a consultative body only and do not have the power to take a call

How Did Enercon Work this??

What happened After?? Beyond the Case

Clearance of Forest for installation of windmill

Damaged Pasture Routes

HEAVY DAMAGE TO PASTURE ROUTES

WEALTHY TANKS

The Obvious Questions?

Green Energy / Green Disaster? 20 years of hard work was destroyed by money? The government did not protect its people? A good ecosystem can be created and is a sustainable resource to all the organisms that live around it - Can it be re-created with a power generation unit around it?

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

The company can be given time before we are sure they have reneged on their promises. The tree plantation can be remade after all the windmills are setup Replenishing the ground water and building the water tanks is the responsibility of Enercon In addition, the community should find locations to re-create the water bodies work with what they have since the damage has already been done

References

Ignore Biodiversity Management at your own Peril by Prakash Neliyat LAWS AND INSTITUTIONS RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN INDIA by U.Sankar http://mse.ac.in/pub/op_sankar.pdf http://semanticmediawiki.org/wiki/Biodiversity_of_India http://www.actionforourplanet.com/#/top10-polluting-countries/4541684868