Natural areas the world over have been protected through the ages for reasons ranging from biological, religious, cultural and recreational. Today, protected areas are also acknowledged as being one of the most effective means of conserving biological diversity in situ.

In India, Emperor Ashoka, who ruled in the 3rd century B.C., set up sanctuaries for wild animals. Indian royalty and then the Moghuls also reserved areas, mainly for the purpose of sport hunting. Game reserves were established during the British colonial period too. There have also existed areas such as ‘sacred groves’ that have been zealously protected for religious reasons by local communities. Legally, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, India has three categories of protected areas i.e. National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary and the Closed Area (a category rarely used).

Despite the fact that over the years, areas have been protected for various reasons, most legal protected areas are the result of the Government’s decision that certain areas of forest, grassland, wetland or coastline are of value to the nation and should be protected, most often at the cost of local communities. What planners seemed to overlook was that in most countries, some communities have had a historical dependence on resources found in the areas and that it was not possible to ‘close off’ these areas without providing viable alternatives to the people.

Today, the realities being what they are, it is no longer possible to ‘set aside’ areas for conservation nor manage them as isolated units. Protected areas exist as islands in a sea of humanity and this has to be recognised.

Protected areas, globally, are today under a series of threats :

• In developing countries in particular, PAs (managed as they are) have resulted in antagonising the local people, leading to conflicts, often damaging the areas themselves.

• PAs are bearing the brunt of commercial pressures such as mining, felling etc.

• The alienation of traditional communities and the onslaught of urbanisation are resulting in the loss of traditional knowledge as also the erosion of traditional methods of conservation.

Perhaps, the biggest challenge for every nation is how to maintain protected areas in the face of these pressures. It is time for a new paradigm to manage protected areas that takes into consideration economic realities, local concerns and also ensures that protected areas can adapt to changes over the next several decades.

• Protected Areas can no more be managed by one organisation/institution and there is a need to develop new partnerships in order to manage these areas better. If local communities are acknowledged as the stewards of these areas, then joining hands with them might be a more efficient way of conservation. Relationships with the private commercial sector also need to be strengthened.

• Protected areas must be viewed within an integrated landscape management framework and a bio-regional approach. Since biodiveristy-rich regions now remain only as small pockets within a vast sea of urbanisation, corridors, connecting one such pocket to another, need to be thought of. Conservation and sustainable development need to be viewed as integrated parts of the whole picture. Existing biosphere reserves could be used as models for promoting this concept.

• With new partnerships, management regimes also have to be flexible and accept as members, all the relevant stakeholders in the protected areas. Local community members, even though they may not have tenure rights, should become an important part of the planning and management of the area.

• Cultural diversity is closely linked to biological diversity. Different cultures, particularly those living in biodiversity-rich regions, have accumulated over millions of years a wealth of knowledge about their surroundings, which is invaluable. Only a fraction of this is captured by professional biologists. Conserving cultural diversity is, thus, essential for preserving this knowledge.

At the close of the 20th century, the world faces a population-explosion culminating in over-consumption and other human-induced changes such as global warming. In such a world, protected areas are absolutely essential. However, it must be kept in mind that management of these areas must be flexible, taking into consideration the changing environmental, social, economic and political conditions. q

  Seema Bhatt