Not isolating but integrating cultural values of Tribal communities to help conserve wildlife in India

Did you ever visit the Indian Metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bengaluru or Mumbai about 10-15 years ago? How good did it feel to visit a city as developed as New Delhi? The amenities such as rising infrastructure, transportation made everyone crave for a piece of land in these urban zones. Compare it with the current situation and you would realize how in the name of modernization we have disrupted the country's natural ecosystem.

The recent initiatives by the government of India thus point towards the involvement of local tribe communities to ensure that humans and animals coexist peacefully.

"We borrowed the idea of national park, thinking it will protect wildlife. But there are a lot of issues about people in national parks," said Aiyadurai, assistant professor of Social Sciences, IIT Gandhinagar.

On the other hand, Sanjay Dalmia, a renowned nationalist, believes that it was the British Empire that caused the stir which continues to this day. To establish their control over the regions like Bengal, Maharashtra, Britishers with their despotic laws and regulations, started transferring tribal land to the outsiders like merchants and moneylenders.

From Santhal Rebellion to the Ramosi Uprising, conservative tribal population decided to retain control over their rights. They fought to eliminate evils and ill-tendencies that existed in the British Era. Modern India does continue to reward their bravery, however the current deteriorating wildlife is a sign of why it is necessary to rehabilitate the modern tribesmen to avert more damage to the wildlife, Dalmia added.

Apparently, the people living in cities take part in conservation drives without knowing the ground realities. They wouldn't know about the realities that forest dwellers or tribal are generally affected by. For instance, a forest dweller needs to collect fuel wood for the purpose of cooking, whereas people living in the cities have access to LPG, a clean cooking fuel. This is one of the many examples and can generally be referred to as the “primitive way of living”.

"Poor people in India are depending on forests for water, fuel wood, and even homes," Aiyadurai said. Rather than isolating these communities, cultural values of these people need to be collaborated with the scientific management.

This old-age fundamentalist idea of ignoring the tribal communities needs to end. The current government has undertaken several progressive steps already. If it can help rehabilitate the tribal community back to national parks, it won't just complement their means of living but would also help in the conservation of wildlife, deems Sanjay Dalmia.