India is one of the12 megadiversecountries in the world,commanding 7%-8% ofthe world's biodiversityand supporting 16%of the major foresttypes, varying fromalpine pastures inthe Himalayas totemperate, ~sub-tropical,tropical forests, andmangroves in thecoastal areas. However,the country is facingseveral challenges withregard to maintainingits megadiverse status.Dr Yogesh Gokhaleanalyses India's positionfrom the domestic, aswell as internationalpoint of view, and findswhat the country needsto do to safeguard itsrich biodiversity.

r OOVERSTORY

26 TERRAGREEN AUGUST 2010

27TERRAGREEN AUGUST 2010

Every now and then, we hear news of tigers being killed or poisoned bypeople for the 'crime' of cattle lifting. But, do you know that there are

people in India who believe that cattle lifting by a tiger is its right? TheMadia Gond tribals of Mendha-Lekha, Maharashtra, believe that the act is

justified because humans are living in the tiger's habitat, forcing it toresort to such means of survival.

The total area of Mendha-Lekha village is about 1600 ha, ofwhich 80% is forest. Threat to natural resources and livelihood

of the villagers led to the emergence of 'Mawa Mate, Mawa

Raj' concept in the village, meaning "in our village, we are

the government': Mendha-Lekha believes in Gram Swaraj

(village democracy), based on Gram Sabha (village

assembly), and has put in place numerous measures to

protect the environment, such as the creation of a VanSuraksha Samiti (Forest Protection Committee) with

the villagers. It is really interesting to see the way theMadia Gonds have internalized the environment as

part of their developmental aspirations.However, cases like this are in stark contrast to

those of the city dwellers, who are completelydistanced from nature. For instance, the

population of domestic sparrows has been

reducing in various cities of India for the past

many years. But, there is hardly any concern

about this amongst the urban communities.

Many cannot even imagine the gravity ofthe situation.

The truth is that each and every living

organism on the earth-that makes up

its biological diversity or biodiversity-is

quintessential for survival of the human race andthe planet.

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life

on the earth and the natural patterns it forms. It is

formally defined in the Biological Diversity Act 2002 as

"the variability among living organisms from all sources

and the ecological complexes of which they are part,and

includes diversity within species or between species andof ecosystems':

The recent interest in biodiversity can be traced back to

the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, where world leaders agreed ona comprehensive 'sustainaole development' strategy, leading to

the creation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). CBD

establishes three broad goals: conservation of biological diversity;

sustainable use of its components; and fair and equitable sharing of the

benefits from the use of genetic resources. India was among the first countries

to sign the CBD (on 5 June 1992).Since then, biodiversity has emerged as a major