Involving communities in conservation ? a lost opportunity
The history of conservation of natural resources has been strewn with conflicts between the state and local communities.
The history of conservation of natural resources has been strewn with conflicts between the state and local communities. Many of these conflicts have been caused when "conservation" has been attempted without consulting the local communities and by alienating them from the resources of which they are dependent. The laws and policies pertaining to conservation and protection have reflected the bias of the state in excluding the local people.
An attempt to redress the loss of wildlife caused by these conflicts and to give the local community a stake in conservation, has been made in the recently amended Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) and the new Biological Diversity Act (BDA) 2002. Both these Acts have provisions which appear to be recognising and facilitating participation of communities and private bodies in the conservation and management of biodiversity, including wildlife and habitats.
These provisions include new categories of protected areas (Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves) in the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act (WLPA) 2002, and Biodiversity Heritage Sites under the Biological Diversity Act (BDA) 2002.
In order to gain a clearer understanding of the two new provisions of the amended WLPA, their strengths and weakness, and the possible implications of their implementation, a meeting was organised by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Kalpavriksh (KV) on the 3rd - 4th of February 2004 at BNHS, Mumbai.
