While the national media, the country's urban elite and its scientific establishment wax eloquent on these reserves, very few spare a thought for those who rely on the PAs for their biomass and livelihood needs. Lately, tourism and mining companies have begun viewing PA s as impediments to development. The government, of course, rarely allocates adequate funds to these reserves.
But how much do we really know about our national parks or sanctuaries? What happens to a piece of natural habitat - forest, grassland, beach or wetland - once it's declared a national park or a sanctuary? What do such declarations imply for people who rely on these reserves for subsistence? How effectively has India's PA network conserved biodiversity over the years? Questions such as these are rarely asked. In fact, most of our policies related to biodiversity conservation are made without even the most basic evaluation of the country's vast PA network.
More comprehensive In 1989, the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, published a compendium on PAs. This useful volume drew on questionnaire-based surveys. The two-volume publication under review uses a much more comprehensive approach. Based on several years of research, the volumes have incredible detail on each of Maharashtra's vast PA network (national parks and sanctuaries cover around 5 per cent of Maharashtra's area).
The volumes have enormous detail on each reserve's history and biodiversity and land-use patterns. There is also valuable information on people who depend on the PAs and the resultant pressures on the reserve. Detailed maps indicate physical features, human habitations, forest cover as well as administrative details of each PA. The maps are the best part of the report and will surely prove useful for any scholar interested in analysing Maharashtra's PAs.
And that is not all. All government documents related to management of PAs have been tabulated and numbered for easy access. The importance of this compilation lies in the fact that such state-level information on national parks and sanctuaries, while sorely needed for effective planning, is extremely rare. Read the full report here.
Source: Ghazala Shahabuddin, Down To Earth, Issue: July 15, 2006.
