THE DIVERSITY of earth’s ecosystems, species and their genes is highly valued because the earth’s natural biological wealth sustains human life and their well being. In the past, climate changes have led to shifts in vegetation types, but the current rate of global warming may cause much more significant damage to it. Remember, the Green Revolution of 1960’s was based on the use of a germplasm of a wild plant. Therefore India has to make all efforts to save its biodiversity.
The earth’s climate has been evolving continuously over several millennia, but the last two centuries have witnessed the man-made green house problem which is now threatening to culminate in unprecedented climatic change over the globe, now being called Global warming .The international panel on climatic change (IPCC) has warned in its February 2007 meeting at Paris, that the climatic change ( rise in global temperature) will result in potentially dramatic negative impacts on human health, food security, water resources, human rehabilitation problem in coastal areas (on account of melting of ice caps and resultant rise in sea levels) and biodiversity.
We have now entered the ‘Biotechnological Era’, where chemical free food and medicines are gaining importance. Experts are of the opinion that within a decade or two more than 60 per cent of the world trade will be in these products, in which Indian biodiversity will play a dominant role in the world economic scene.
India has all the requisites like fertile land in different climatic zones (thus, crop variety), water resources, manpower, ancient proven technologies for such production (by application of Indian cow byproducts, individually or in combination with locally available biomass products: Indian scientists have started taking international patents of these) and the modern scientific know-how (drip irrigation), tissue culture, green house farming, etc) to make a big economic success out of it.
It is assumed that every individual in the society contributes towards conservation, pollution control and sustainable development. In fact they were outstanding foresighted scientists, who were committed towards designing ‘sustainable human welfare models’ maintaining full harmony with nature (especially within prevailing Indian environment). Some of these rules designed by them are:
Realising the importance of water to survive in this physical world, it has been equated with god and all rivers have been called Jeewandayani (life provider) in many Indian classics.
Water is most potent and universal medicine according to the Atharva Veda.
It is asubha (inauspicious) to take bath in a pond without first removing five fistfuls of mud from it, states the Shri Skanda Purana.
Those who construct a pond find place in heaven (Shri Skanda Purana).Many faunal and floral species have been assigned to different gods and goddesses to ensure that man respects them and actively participates in their conservation –all classics.
Trees have been equated with Brahma (the Creator) and it has been spelled out that 10 Kunjas are equal to a Bawari, 10 Bawaris are equal to a pond, 10 ponds are equal to a son and 10 sons are equal to a tree (Swetashwaropanishad).
Trees planted in each life are available in the form of children in next life (Vishnu Dharamasutra).
Ayurveda says that there is nothing useless in nature since all living forms are bestowed with curative properties of their own and endemic life forms define the natural constitution of a particular environment niche (Acharya Charaka).
Performing havana and recitation of mantras, purify the local environment through fragrance of havana and by the vibrations of the mantra.
Goddess Lakshmi resides in Gomata (several Indian classics).
The effectiveness of these simple rules can be best understood by one of the best known trees of India ‘Peepal’(Ficus religiosa).This tree has been dedicated to Lord Vishnu and therefore a venerated tree. It was beneath a Peepal tree that Gautma Buddha attained enlightenment and that particular tree is named ‘Bodhi’ (the Tree of Wisdom).
In case of watershed management the modern techniques have adopted the same simple solutions designed by our ancestors in which watershed of the different river systems are strengthened by plantation of suitable endemic flora, along with contour embankment (bund), land leveling, digging of ponds and isolation of ravines to construct check-bunds, use the ground slope for construction of drains that leads water into these ponds, wasteland treatment, removal of weeds, install wind breaker to protect farm produce by planting local trees/shrubs/grass of suitable height and many such land treatment work for enhancement of ground water recharge and optimum land utilisation.
Being outstanding scientists our ancestors (Rishis and Munis) had also understood that the earth is a vast waters-storage tank and its regular filling is facilitated by naturally growing vegetation in that particular ecological niche. It is like our bank account from where ‘only the credited balance may be withdrawn’. The only difference being that we may or may not have money for deposition in bank, but water as a replenishable natural commodity is always available for storage and its continued availability are ponds/check dams. Thus they established a ‘pond culture’ in India as a direct social responsibility of the king.
A pond-bund devoid of trees was considered ‘a temple without image’
Besides to ensure the cleanliness of these water bodies, our ancestors were able to infuse very strong social awareness/commitment within Indian society.
Fortunately, during the present decade, such thinking has emerged among the governing political parties of India and they have started schemes to sort out the
water problem of the country, may it be the ‘Swajal Dhara Yojana of NDA’ operative since December 25, 2002 and subsequently the plan for ‘Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies’ by the UPA government wef 2004-05.Under these schemes 90 per cent cost of a single project is met by the Central government. The participants (group of local citizen) have to bear only 10 per cent of the cost. In earlier schemes the state governments had to partly share the total cost of such individual projects.
The success of watershed management techniques has been demonstrated at field level by many NGO’s working in remote corners of India. In such areas where ground water table has risen and they have sufficient water for irrigation as well even during acute draught conditions prevailing in the region. In the coastal areas (Kutch) has solved the saline water intrusion in fresh water got segregated in natural process from high-density saline water, which was left at the bottom of aquifer. The revival of ancient ‘pond culture’ In India will play a very positive role in augmentation and regular availability of water.
It may summarised in nutshell that most of the WTO Agreements are heavily loaded in favour of developed countries. Developed countries have gained very little from these agreements. In this context, India may feel some relief through NAMA (Non-Agricultural Marker Access) on industrial imports-a Swiss formula presented by the Europeans.
