Om Parkash Sharma
Nature conservation is not only basic to human survival but a backbone of nation’s economy.Sustained way of utilization of nature and natural resources to meet needs of societies in view of modern developmental goals seems challenging especially in a nation like India which despite having a rich wealth of bioresources is facing problem on several fronts like unplanned sprawl of urban unheigenic suburbs , untreated sewage and solid waste disposal ,degradation of once picturesque habitats ,ever increasing pollution loads in rivers ,lakes and gardens , burgeoning population and continuing poverty and malnutrition .
Like Kashmir ,forests with temperate sub-alpine and alpine vegetation have several picturesque spots like Capilano suspension bridge ,Stanley Park ,Pacific walkway ,Malcolm Knapp Research Forest ,Pacific Whale watching andSea lion island ,Buchart garden ,Cowichan First Nation Locale ,Cheakamus riverside , high altitude ropeway and skiing at Whistler, Shanon waterfall and mountain peaks like Tantalus in British Columbia.Floristics of the forest visited provided new inputs on forest timber like West Himalayan Cedar Thuja plicata (Kashmir has miniature Thuja orientalis in Gardens for landscaping only and Himalyan Cedar Cedrus deodara is much valued timber in demand), Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menzesii (New Genus unheard in India ),Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla (Kashmir Hemlock is an umbellifer Conium maculatum which is poisonous and is supposed to be consumed by Socrates) food and edibles like Blueberries Vaccinium (not seen in Kashmir), Blackberries Rubus species (Kashmir has much diversity of edible Raspberries like Rubus niveus, Rfruiticosus, Rellipticus), wildlife food resources like Skunk Cabbage Lysichiton americanus ( unheard in Kashmir, Bears fond of eating underground tubers) ,lake tourism like one at Loon lake ( Kashmir has picturesque high altitude lakes like Gangbal, Neelnag but need matching infrastructure as seen at Loon Lake), timber trade and value addition (Canada has innovative technology and minds to work ,Kashmir need to learn to minimize wood waste and implement forest regeneration models on ground but grazing need to be contained and management prescriptions followed as in Canada)
Attitude and thinking that conservation and development can not go hand hand ,if nation puts economic agenda in the forefront ,development harms conservation and if conservation is prioritized ,development gets a setback proved wrong after visit to places like Capilano ,Stanley Park ,Research Forest ,Cowichan ,Cheakmus and Whistler. Several places visited has display of natural landscape as well as modern state of art technology . All highways , beaches ,city roads ,healthcare centres ,hotels ,bus and rail terminals ,ecotourism spots ,play grounds and forest logging areas have maintained all quality standards of governance and maintenace to provide a healthy ambience around all working places .Clean transport with no air or water pollution ,planting of decorative flowering trees and bushes of Cherry blossoms ,Rhododendrons ,Magnolias amidst tall skyscrappers impressed me a lot . Kashmir with a legacy of natural splendour ,lush green verdant forested surroundings need to learn how to cope with city garbage ,plastic disposal ,phasing out old polluting vehicles and keep city roads and highways ,tourist places and waterbodies neat and clean .
Forest and wildlife areas including waterbodies having ecotourism potential attract visitors and naturalists for old as well as new glimpses ,nowhere old site ,value ,culture stand sacrificed to modern innovation ,in fact both exist side by side and stand complimentary to each other not only in the eyes of field functionaries but also before policy planners ,bureaucrats ,judiciary and people called First Nations. Taking the example of Capilano ,unique blend of old natural and man made heritage conservation with modern innovations stand tall before the visitors. On the one hand old trees of Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata, Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menzesii stand perserved, tree houses on lofty conifer trees stand built overlooking old engineering marvel of old suspension bridge on the river Capilano and modern cantilever cliffwalk way stand innovated to have a grand walk through woods, cliffs, riverside under the green canopy of conifers with a chain of multiple nature education hoardings focusing on inter-relationships of different life forms and links to first nation and modern society.
Likewise Stanely Park is being managed with high level committee of committed professionals and subject matter specialists of repute ,world class aquarium ,seaside walkway ,introduction of fascinating Cherry blossoms ,lofty oaks ,elegant Rhododendrons and preservation of old growth to nurture nature stand included in the urban setting and despite nature fury by way of hurricane or forest fire ,park has been preserved for society in a better way. Visit to logging areas and preservation of old forest growth at Malcolm Knapp Research Forest being managed by University of British Columbia was another innovative example of sustaining forest productivity ,conserving habitats in a holistic way ,allowing sustainable logging coupled with predetermined annual cut and well planned management plans and nurturing nature education for nature lovers, research scholars and university students proved highly inspiring and motivating .Old forest growth with rich soil, terrestrial, arboreal diversity coexisting near to logging area and a machanized Gallant sawmill proved the fact that nothing stops the coexistence of developmental and conservation models if commitment and dedication works at high level.
Visit to Victoria with its enchanting landscaping, whale watching in the Pacific waters and interaction with representaives from Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre further strengthened the view that nature conservation and developmental agenda can be undertaken together if proper management plans are drawn , professional and political support is ensured and there is unwavering commitment of purpose .Forest officers at senior levels have to set goals and objectives and put conservation and development on an innovative sustainable agenda and need to manage horizontal as well as vertical co-ordination for more productive forest management in days to come .
Dedication ,commitment , management goal , vision clarity all seen going hand in hand and nowhere violation of prescribed rules and regulations seen permitted /tolerated by any level of heirarchy within or outside any department in such a developed nation where cityscape has all modern amenities ,multistoried skyscrappers ,cleanest ultra-modern highways and tunnels but has fostered good governance and management ideals.
Having said that Canada has peculiar advantages of its own ,it has very low population structure ,insignificant poverty problems ,high productivity of coastal forests ,absence of hostility at the borders , no ethnic conflicts , high literacy rate ,highly mechanized way of forest operations , no corruption and dedicated team of honest managers.
Back home ,Indian states can improve its management scenario by imbibing the spirit of dedication and honesty ,reducing the areas of conflict ,following scientific way of harvest and value addition ,establishing examples of super models of logging in state forest corporations like one in Tripura ,innovative way of nature education like one undertaken by Jungle Lodges and resorts , blending old heritage sites in urban city centres like some in Bangalore and Hyderabad, providing modern e-governance for fast delivery and check on unhealthy practices, rewarding innovative minds and professionals, never compromising set quality goals and fostering developmental goals with no compromise on conservation of nature and natural resources including river and lake systems which are losing ecotourism potential due to degradation of forests around, unauthorised land reclamation and encroachment, unscientific disposal of domestic and industrial sewage /solid waste seen in places like Srinagar, Kanpur, Lucknow but not in cities like Vancouver, Victoria or Whistler tourist spot British Columbia.
India with a richer and older civilization, time tested values and ideals of fostering co-existence with nature and communities, huge consumer market, availability of young innovative scientific minds , dedicated workers and mind boggling picturesque natural splendour and ecotourism potential in places like Kashmir has lot to learn from nations like Canada and put our management priorities in right perspective so that economic gains are not at the cost of environmental disatsters and spoiling of nature’s ecotourism locales. It can be achieved only if all the Goverments nurture good governance having no room for manipulations, corruption, materialistic gains and cutting edge level stakeholders join hands to put efforts in the right direction to get rid of negative forces and nurture better ideals and goals of development as seen in places abroad.
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