The dynamics between formal and informal players is essential to understand local dependence on forest resources and the effects of institutional arrangements on conservation and conflict. A study of three villages at the Navegaon National Park, Maharashtra was undertaken to analyse these dynamics following an ethnomethodological approach. The impact of institutional dynamics on resource dependency and conflict is explored through the implementation of forest conservation programmes, interactions between formal and informal players and within village communities, impacts of displacement threats, migration and resource restrictions on informal players, redesign of religious institutions, and human–wildlife conflict.
India has a rich history of indigenous knowledge systems. But how well has it fared in preserving them? This reading list compiles cases from different parts of the country to sketch out the state of biodiversity conservation.
This paper highlights some sustainability concerns related to Andhra Pradesh’s marine fisheries by using primary data. The analysis shows that several serious problems lie beneath the estimates of the quantity and value of annual marine catch from the state. The issue of targeted, incidental and by-catch in this multispecies fishery is interlinked in complex ways. A host of internal and external factors of the marine system drive the harvest. Increasing demand for shrimp, other high-value fishes, subadults, and juveniles of various species for consumption from different consumer segments, a thriving poultry or aquaculture feed industry and the perceived opportunity cost of avoiding or minimising the non-targeted catch by the fishers act as critical drivers threatening the sustainability of fisheries. If strict measures are not adopted, the AP fishery might collapse sooner than later.
The One Health framework that espouses an integrated approach for protecting the health of humans, animals and the environment is the need of the hour. The legally binding International Health Regulations (2005) is an existing powerful legislation that can bridge the gap between and among sectors for the realisation of the One Health approach in India.
While Madhya Pradesh is an acknowledged leader in implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, operationalising the local-level biodiversity management committees is a continuous challenge. The state’s multipronged approach with a focus on bio-fi nance, regulatory fl exibility, convergence with other government schemes, and enabling policy environment holds the key to building empowered, Atmanirbhar biodiversity management committees.
The rampant use of plastics in India and inefficient waste management practices have led to plastic waste being either piled up on dumpsites or finding their way into the open sea, contributing to the global problem of marine plastic pollution. Marine plastic pollution is a threat to the well-being of marine creatures and humans, and there are heavy economic costs as well. Providing a picture of the situation along India’s coast, this study points to the dire consequences in store if no or limited action is taken.
Biofortification refers to the increase in the amount of essential vitamins or provitamins or minerals in crops to improve the nutritional status of the people. The article argues that biofortification may not be an effective weapon to fight against the hidden hunger since it demonstrates limited capacity for nutritional enhancement and suggests a couple of alternatives.
The contributions of Marine Protected Areas vary greatly depending on their size, age, types and intensity of resource extraction in their area and level of financial support for management. Taking India as a typical example, how modern legal rationality, especially with respect to conservation, is entrenched in the idea of territorial control, undermines the efforts of the forest department in seascapes, and triggers conflicts, is described. Marine conservation should be motivated by a non-territorial rationality and engage seriously with alternative approaches such as dynamic co-management and legal pluralism.
