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Endangered wildlife biologists
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HOMEEndangered wildlife biologists The environment ministry’s new guidelines could seriously undermine research. Much is being said these days by the PM and the president on the importance of teaching basic science. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them is an insidious process under way that threatens to reduce the access of scientists working in field biology to their basic raw materials — wild species in their natural habitat. I refer here to the new Guidelines for Wildlife Research that have been promulgated by the environment ministry. It has never been easy to obtain governmental permits to carry out research in protected areas, especially if one has a foreign collaborator or your work involves collections or habitat manipulation. However, everything suddenly gets dramatically easier if one is working for a government-sponsored research institute. The new guidelines actually institutionalise these double standards. The new guidelines have made the process of issuance of permits more complicated. Earlier a researcher simply wrote to the chief wildlife warden of the state in which his/her study area lay, who then asked for the comments of the field director before granting a permit. This process itself often took a few months. Now each proposal will go through an additional expert committee, which is expected to meet only every four months. It’s not difficult to see further delays to permit approvals. The guidelines emphasise that preference will be given to research that has visible implications for management of protected areas. Even before the guidelines came in, more than one ecologist was faced with the question: what good is your research for management of this sanctuary? It is unfortunate that the keepers of our forests and wetlands rarely spare a thought for the history of conservation when they ask this question. How the seemingly purposeless wanderings of Salim Ali led to a new understanding of bird diversity in India that laid the foundation for several protected areas that the ministry itself is responsible for. In any case, is there a problem with just doing biology for biology’s sake? It is nobody’s case that irresponsible research should be stopped or that scientists should submit to rules of the forest department. But neither is it desirable to transform ourselves into a kind of dictatorship where intellectual pursuits are governed by the needs of the state. The writer is fellow, Environmental Studies Group of the Council for Social Development, New Delhi |
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