Climate and Corona have disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many. This may just be the trailer.
In such turbulent times, there is a need for climate resilient and hardy species with a potential to benefit Ecology, Economy and Society. Bamboo could be one such species provided we develop an organized market for it.
My views on the need for promotion and development of organized bamboo markets in Down To Earth magazine.
Bamboo as we all know has thousands of application for societal purpose, but it has also got a deeper connection with the apex predator and keystone species of the Indian wildlife. You must be wondering, but how can there be a relation between bamboo and tiger? These two have an age old relation to co-exist. Though it is not documented enough, but very well-established it is!
Few days back, I came across an
article in local newspaper about the stagnant population of tigers in
Navegaon-Nagzira tiger reserve. Interestingly, one of the prime reasons for the
stagnant tiger population was the lack of bamboo groves.
The celebrity of Indian wildlife,
Royal Bengal Tiger, roams in a wide range of habitats including high altitudes,
tropical and subtropical rainforests, mangroves, and grasslands. But one thing
it prefers across such diverse landscapes is the presence of thick and dense
bamboo groves.
The national tiger census was
completed recently according to which the country has 2967 tigers. Out of which
the Maharashtra state has 312, Tadoba has 83 while the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger
reserve has 6-7 tigers. A comparative study of the Nagzira and Tadoba tiger
reserve reveals an interesting scenario. Back in 1980's, both Nagzira and
Tadoba had about 6-8 tigers. But as of today, the tigers in Tadoba have crossed
100 plus mark, yet the tiger count in Nagzira is limited to only six.
Experts point to a fact that Tadoba
has always been the hotspot for tigers owing to the presence of grasslands and
thick bamboo groves. Tadoba has more area under bamboo which makes it conducive
for the tigers to hide and attack. They are more active in dense bamboo clumps
and thick bamboo groves, and prefer mating in such areas.
Despite of Navegaon-Nagzira being
an important wildlife corridor connecting Kanha, Pench and Tadoba reserve, tigers
do not prefer to stay here. Like other tourists, tigers come and visit Navegaon
but do not stay there for long. While
there could be many other factors attributable to it, but depletion of bamboo
resources is one of the prime concern. Comparatively, Navegao-Nagzira has much
lesser area under bamboo and the presence of monoculture teak plantations in
the area has also affected the tiger populations.
Forests are not just about the
trees, herbs and shrubs, it’s also about the small and tall grasses like bamboo.
The grasses on which the entire herbivores feed and the flagship carnivores
like tigers survive. Everything in nature is interdependent and if the tiger
has to thrive, bamboo has to survive. This wildlife week, let us pledge to
protect and preserve the infinite potential in the inter-connectedness of
nature!
(PS: I am not a wildlife expert, but as a learner and
explorer, I have tried to connect the dots between the bamboo and tiger. Hope
you enjoyed reading the post. Your comments are most welcome! )
India is one among the 17 mega-diverse countries of the world. With only 2.4% of the world’s geographical area, it supports 16.7% of world’s human population and about 8 % of the global biodiversity. India has a strong network of protected areas which supports the country’s rich flora and fauna. But what exactly are these protected areas? Protected areas are those in which the exploitation of the resources is limited and there is a limitation on biotic interference. There are several kinds of protected areas, each of which vary by the level of protection depending upon the enabling laws of the country or the laws governing by international organizations. In India, the Protected Area Network (PAN) comprises of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves. Together, it comprises 5.02 % of country’s geographical area.
1.
National
Parks
These are the areas of very high ecological
significance and are completely reserved for the conservation of wild animals. No
human activity in any form such as harvesting of timber, collection of minor
forest produce, encroachment/destruction of habitat, construction of tourist
lodges, livestock grazing and hunting of wild animals are banned in these
areas. Currently, there are 104 national parks in India covering an area of 40,501.13 km2, which is 1.23% of the geographical
area of the country (National Wildlife Database, May, 2019).
2.
Wildlife
Sanctuaries
A wildlife sanctuary is a protected area reserved
for both – conservation of animals and controlled human activities. The partial
biotic interference is allowed as long as it does not interferes with the
well-being of animals. The human activities such as harvesting of timber,
collection of minor forest products and private ownership rights are allowed.
Livestock grazing is also allowed in a regulated manner in sanctuaries. It may
be noted that a wildlife sanctuary can be upgraded to a national park, but a
national park cannot be downgraded to a wildlife sanctuary. It may also be
noted that the boundaries of sanctuaries are not well defined, however the
boundaries of national park are well defined. Currently, there are 551 existing
wildlife sanctuaries in India covering an area of 1,19775.80 km2, which
is 3.64 % of the geographical area of the country (National Wildlife Database,
May, 2019).
3.
Tiger
Reserves
The national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which
encompasses a good tiger population have been nominated as tiger reserves and
such areas have a special status with highest level of protection. Currently,
there are 50 tiger reserves in India.
4.
Conservation
Reserves and Community Reserves
Both Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves
typically denote the areas which act as buffer zones or migration corridors
between established reserved and protected forests. These protected area categories were
introduced in 2002 after the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
These categories were notified because of reduced protection in and around
existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and
other land uses. Currently, there are 88 Conservation Reserves with an
area of 4356.49 Sqkm and 127 Community Reserves with an area of 525.22
Sqkm.
5.
Biosphere
Reserves
Biosphere
reserves were initiated under the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme in
1971. Biosphere reserves protect large areas of natural habitat along with the
human communities who inhibit these areas. There are 18 biosphere reserves in
India.
The term "protected area" also includes Marine Protected Areas, the boundaries of which will include some area of ocean conservation purposes.
6.
Marine
Protected Areas
A marine
protected area (MPA) is a designated area within the ocean where human
activities are strictly regulated. Such areas are given special protections for
natural or historic marine resources by local, state, territorial, native,
regional, or national authorities.
7.
Eco
Sensitive Zones (ESZs)
Eco-Sensitive
Zones (ESZs) or Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs) are areas notified by the
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of
India around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. The main
purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the
protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas.
They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas
involving lesser protection.
8.
Coastal
Regulation Zone
As per the
notification issued in February 1991, under Environment Protection Act of 1986,
the coastal activities were regulated. Accordingly, the coastal land up to 500m
from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks,
estuaries, backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the
Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ). CRZ along the country has been placed in four categories.
The said notification imposed restriction on the setting up and expansion of
industries in the said CRZ.
Thus, the Protected Area Network (PAN) serves as the lifeline for the country's rich flora
and fauna, and plays a significant role in conserving India’s natural heritage.
References:
·
https://www.teriin.org/opinion/protected-area-network-india
·
http://cmscop13india.nic.in/index1.aspx?lsid=1087&lev=2&lid=79&langid=1
·
https://gradeup.co/protected-area-network-in-india-i
The COVID 19 pandemic has severely
disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many. At a time when farmers,
artisans and rural entrepreneurs are struggling to find market for their
produce, ‘Market Mirchi’ application is enabling them to leverage technology in
finding the customers online for their products and establishing direct market
linkages.
Market Mirchi is a portal to
connect the farmers, artisans, self-help groups, agro entrepreneurs and farmer
producer organizations to other stakeholders such as buyers, retailers, wholesalers,
processors and exporters. The portal enables the digitization of agricultural
and rural marketing from rural stakeholders through their own mobiles. It is
built with a social mission to eliminate/reduce the intermediaries so that the
seller fetches the right price for its produce. The name of the portal may
sound crazy, but it has been chosen deliberately so that it is not forgotten
easily.
This portal allows the seller to do free online marketing of their product/service using their smartphones. The application has a simple design and very easy to use interface keeping in mind the rural audience. To remove the language barrier, it is also available in 8 regional languages.
Link to the portal: www.marketmirchi.com
The portal has 26 different categories of agro based rural products and services. Recently one exclusive category is also added for the marketing and sale of bamboo products. It further has seven sub-categories such as bamboo poles, furniture, incense sticks etc.
The portal not only allows the rural stakeholders to buy/sell, but also empowers them digitally in the entire process. An effort is also made to build the capacity of the rural people with hands on sessions and webinars. They are trained on their own mobile phones about posting effective sales ad, searching buyers and developing forward linkages.
Step by step guide about the use of marketmirchi.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQs3p0zV6gE&t=42s
In order to find B2B linkages, the application uses various online/offline strategies such as data mining, artificial intelligence and also leverages various social media channels. The portal also makes use of the advanced data analytics to analyze the generated data and plough it back to the database for further research and development.
The portal is absolutely free and
ready to use! Let us do our bit by reaching out to the interested stakeholders
and assist in developing better market linkages and increasing the digital
footprint of rural India.
(To collaborate or to know
more about the platform feel free to reach out on pragatikin@gmail.com / gawandeabhishek4@gmail.com )
With the enthusiasm of celebrating the festival, we generally forget the hazardous impacts of our celebration on the state of natural environment. This Ganesh Chaturthi, let us be mindful of the ecological impacts of our celebrations. Celebrations are no doubt joyous and necessary, but there is a dire need for it to be eco-friendly and sustainable in the context of pressing ecological disasters.
Year after year, our oceans, lakes and the river bodies is getting choked and disturbed with the remains of Plaster of Paris idols, harmful chemical colors and non-biodegradable decorative items. I wonder for how long would the nature be able to sustain the load of insane human activities as the nature also has its own carrying capacity and a tipping point which has already started shattering. This is evident from the fact that today also happens to be an 'Earth Overshoot Day', signifying that we have consumed the ecological resources and the services that the earth can generate for this year.
Nature has already started to show warning signals with the ever growing frequency and intensity of erratic rainfalls, heat waves, floods, cyclones, droughts, forest fires and storms. At a time when all this ecological disasters are at its peak, there is a pressing need to re-examine our actions and way of celebrations.
The Indian culture gave us the freedom to celebrate the festivals in our own ways. Let us not misuse the freedom by polluting the natural water bodies and aquatic life with the idol immersion. Plaster of paris idols may take several months or even years to fully dissolve and it reduces the oxygen level in the water, thus killing the aquatic organisms. The sellers may claim that the idols are made of 100% clay, but often there is no means to verify the claims. Anyways, let's assume even if the idol is made up of clay, but the artificial colors on it contain heavy metals such as mercury and lead which are very toxic when it seeps into the water. Imagine the adverse impact it creates on the innumerable aquatic flora and fauna. Besides, several other accessories like plastic flowers, cloth are carelessly dumped adding more strain to the already polluted rivers and lakes. Many of these water bodies are also a source of pure drinking water for us. Are not our actions like "cutting the branch of a tree we are sitting upon?"
We at our home have been following the tradition of placing Metal Ganesha every year. We take pride in worshiping the same idol year after year. In decoration, we try to avoid or make minimal use of plastic or thermocol. To offset the direct/indirect carbon emissions of our actions, we plant and protect the native trees in our surroundings. We carry out the symbolic immersion in a tub bath and again start re-worshiping it for the rest of the year.
It is worthwhile to note about the initiative by Kolhapur city wherein more than 3 lakh families practice eco-friendly immersion by donating 100% of the nirmalya (flower offerings) for composting. It is also a welcome move by the Central Pollution Control Board to ban all the POP idols and the use of harmful decorative materials like plastic and thermocol from the next year. Now the onus is onto us to become eco-friendly devotees by following the sustainable practices and not blame the government for the polluting water bodies.
I believe that real wisdom and devotion behind celebrating the festivals lies in valuing the nature created by the divine and not in destroying it. On one hand, we treat holy river Ganga as our mother (“Ganga Mayya”) and on the other hand, we pollute and degrade it like anything with our mindless actions like idol immersion. It is high time that we celebrate the festivals responsibly. Let us be the agent of change, take responsibility and motivate our family members and neighbors to celebrate the festive occasions in a joyful, meaningful and eco-friendly manner. The lord Ganesha would be even more happier in seeing our higher level of devotion which is not only about worshiping the lord Ganesh but also about preserving the state of natural environment. We need to remind ourselves of a simple fact that "He Exists in His Creations!"
Today on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, I sincerely wish that the better sense prevails in our devotion and act of celebration. This year and in the years to follow, let us make the responsible choice for our family and the planet with an eco-friendly Ganesha!
Bamboo has tremendous potential
for both the nature and society. There are thousands of articles, reports and
papers documenting its hidden potential. But over the years, its potential for the societal benefits has been underexplored and as a result of which the bamboo sector
remained underdeveloped. We often discuss and critique about the slow growth in
bamboo sector for the multifold reasons. While a lot of focus of our endless discussions
remain about the problems, which ultimately results nowhere. The story to
follow from the Gods own country Kerala seems to be a proven model to address some of
the problems in bamboo sector and may put an accelerator to its growth.
Back in 1970’s, Kerala state had
about one lakh women workers involved in bamboo mat making activities. These
workers were traditional and barely earned any income out of it. Realizing this
as an opportunity, Kerala State Bamboo Corporation (KSBC) was formed in 1971 to
empower and enhance the wages of bamboo artisans. The task was not an easy, but
KSBC strategically planned out the activities by ensuring an efficient value
chain network. The main actors in the value chain network were the Forest
Department (FD), Kerala State Bamboo Corporation (KSBC), Reed Cutters (RD),
Weavers Community (WC) and the manufacturer (KSBC). In the year 1980, KSBC also
started a bamboo mat board (BMB) factory with the technological support from
IPIRTI.
KSBC formed the backward linkages
with the weaving communities and bamboo harvesters. About 15,000 Reed Cutters
were registered with the KSBC and they were paid on the basis of their work
output. The reed cutters are mainly from tribal background. Each RD is given Rs
11 for cutting one reed and are also given annual incentives of Rs 17.5% on the
total number of reeds cut within a year. A reed cutter manages to cut about 6 bundles
of bamboos daily, thus earns about 400 Rs per day and about 2.7 Lakhs per
annum.
The reed cutters supply these
bamboos to the weaver’s community which in turn ensure the continuous supply of
bamboo mats as raw material for manufacturing the bamboo mat boards. About 1
lakh such artisans are registered with the 17 community mat weaving center’s (CMWC).
The mat weavers are generally women who get daily allowance after weaving at
least 3 mats per day. The weavers weave the mat of size 8.25’*4.25’ for which
they are paid 166 Rs/mat. On an average, each mat weaver weaves about 3 mats
daily, thus earns about 500 Rs per day and approximately 1.1 Lakhs per annum.
The activity of making the bamboo
mat boards has been running seamlessly and about 9,000 people are employed in
the BMB factory. All the value chain actors remained in the trade as their
earnings are much more than the opportunity cost of forgone activities. The
KSBC model has proved the immense potential of bamboo in generating livelihoods
and boosting the local employment. In the current situation where major
emphasis is being given to the Atmabirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Kerala bamboo primary
processing model could very well be a role model for the other bamboo rich
states to plan and replicate in the post COVID 19 economic recovery.
