Be Africa, Not Las Vegas – The message from Himalayan belt is clear: India needs to nurture back wild nature in some parts, and stop the construction mania

Source: The post is based on the article “Save Himalayas: Number of pilgrims and tourists in stressed areas must be capped. Globally, this is the accepted norm” and “Be Africa, Not Las Vegas – The message from Himalayan belt is clear: India needs to nurture back wild nature in some parts, and stop the construction mania” published in The Times of India on 21st February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Environment and Biodiversity Conservation.

Relevance: About protecting the Himalayan ecosystem.

News: Recently, there are large cracks appearing on the Badrinath highway. From Joshimath, to the river city of Karanprayag, to the eastern edges of Himachal, the disturbing shifts and slides of the ground pose big questions for the protection of the Himalayan ecosystem.

What is the present state of ecological damage in India?

The past century has seen the disappearance of almost a third of the country’s forest cover; many tree, plant and insect species are extinct or headed in that direction.

Millions of hectares of grassland and sanctuaries are encroached upon by either the local population or excessive tourism and commerce. For example, Mumbai’s mangroves and Deodar forests all across Himachal was destroyed for making roads  and apartment blocks respectively.

Moreover, forests are cleared regularly for industrial parks, mining, commercial plantations and grazing. Further, the tree cover of 10 million hectares is destroyed every year.

There is no institutional policy or active manpower push to contain the destruction and reverse ecological damage.

The damage inflicted is so pervasive and complete, in many cases, it is irreversible and may take many decades to repair.

What are the major reasons for ecological damage in India?

This is due to two environmentally destructive strategies, excess and instant gratification. For example, the fragile ecology of the Garhwal Himalayas is under tremendous stress due to a) Hydroelectric projects, increased traffic and construction activities which led to a breach in the carrying capacity of the Uttarakhand hills, b) Constructing a four-lane highway in the Himalayan region. Though four-lane highways seem like a major advance, such a development strategy is neither economically sound nor ecologically tenable.

How do other countries conserve ecology?

Bhutan’s ‘high value, low volume’ tourism strategy: The country charges foreign tourists a sustainable development fee of around $200 per person per night. Indian visitors also have to pay Rs 1,200 per day.

Central and South American countries:

a) Costa Rica’s Blue Flag Ecology Programme: The country accounts for 4% of the world’s biodiversity and relies on tourism for 10.3% of its GDP. A strict set of environmental criteria is laid down under the programme. Under it, all local stakeholders in the tourism industry work together to attain the coveted Blue Flag tag.

b) Chile: The tourism industry is allowed to operate only in sustainable ways within protected areas. Tourism stakeholders are then held accountable for any breaches in these agreements.

What should be done to protect the Himalayan ecosystem?

Cap pilgrimage count: Many countries around the globe cap pilgrim and tourist numbers. Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district administration has indicated there may be a cap on pilgrims. The government should implement this without hesitation.

Greening of the denuded sections of the landscape: This includes replanting along with multiple ecological plans to encourage bees, butterflies and birds, besides a wider variety of regional plants and trees.

Focus on all species: A calibrated study of varied animal and insect species is required to create a balanced ecosystem within forests.

In forest and rural areas, hyenas, wild hens, boar, foxes, deer, wolves and other animal species need to be nurtured; they have been grossly neglected, due to excessive focus on tigers, lions and cheetahs.

Promote deliberate underdevelopment in ecologically-sensitive regions: The rewilding of India must be closely tied to de-populating certain overburdened areas of the country.  But that should be accompanied by a clear policy on areas available for tourism, limited tourism, and no-go areas.

Find middle ground: India, wild like remote Africa, or India overbuilt like Las Vegas, it will take some serious steps to find a middle ground.