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Contiguous stretches of Banni grasslands of Kutchh (top) have been severely impacted by ‘modern’
agricultural practices, while the unique montane grasslands, called sholas, of the Western Ghats
(above) are being fragmented.other mammals and birds. Down the
decades, one of India’s conservation failures
has been our inability or unwillingness
to ‘plan for success’. Consequently, the
fringes are laid claim to by humans who
so alter the landscape that when species
populations in natal areas grow, there is no
place for them to spill onto. The resultant
human-animal confl ict stares us in the face
every single day, almost all across India.
But let me conclude with hope for
the recovery of grasslands, especially,
with modifi cation of Section 4.2.5 (a)
of the draft of the National Forest
Policy of 2018, which talks about
aff orestation. We can and must work
to ensure that ‘reforestation’ eff orts
be scientifi cally sound and tailored to
benefi t the diversity of species adapted
over millennia to the unique ecological
circumstances, habitats and ecosystems in
which they have evolved.
It is important to understand that
planned assistance, coupled with sound
scientifi c backing for India’s dying
grassland habitats, could pay immense
dividends to a nation stricken by a climate
crisis of gargantuan proportions. Going
beyond the boost to wild biodiversity,
such measures will undoubtedly help us
cope with climatic extremes and boost our
water, food, economic and social security.
Let me put it this way. The fauna
of grasslands are not appraisal seekers.
They are apprehensive about humans.
In spite of fi nding meadows near forest
fringes (near human habitation), these
animals are only occasionally sighted.
One should understand that this does
not indicate their absence, but that
they confl ate well in their habitat and
are wary of human presence. Until
you see a ball of fur darting about in
mid-air, you will not be able to spot
the common black-naped hare, which is
widespread across the grasslands of the
sub-continent. Even the ever-sublime
tigers are tough to spot in such cryptic
terrain. All these characteristics off er a
touch of enigmatic animation to these
austere landscapes.
On a lighter note, if it is going to save
the magic of grasslands from turning into
autochthonous production houses, we
might as well replace Panthera tigris with
Bos taurus indicus as the national animal
(look it up on Google!).
To quote Walt Whitman, “How strong,
vital, enduring! How dumbly eloquent!
SAURABH SAWANTRAMKI SRINIVASAN | CONSERVATION INDIAWhat suggestions of imperturbability
and being, as against the human trait of
mere seeming! Then the qualities, almost
emotional, palpably artistic, heroic, of a
tree; so innocent and harmless, yet so
savage. It is, yet says nothing.”
We are blessed to be living on a
subcontinent so adorned with natural
richness. But ‘trees’ do not alone constitute
a forest. It is those tiny pebbles and stonesalong marshes; the short and tall grasses;
the microbes, the worms, and the insects;
the herbaceous shrubs and the clusters of
herbs; the apathetic tigers, the truculent
elephants, the slithering snakes and
lizards, the doe-eyed ungulates, the
esoteric bustards, the hyaenas with their
manes looking like hog’s bristles; the
dogged wolves in their green meadows.
Of such are our wildernesses made. l