May 22 is celebrated as International Day of Biodiversity all over the world. It is a day to recall the commitment of the United Nations towards the conservation of biological diversity and increase the understanding and awareness of biodiversity-related issues across the globe. Biological diversity encompasses all that is living around us and all life forms irrespective of their taxonomic affinities are seeing an unprecedented decline everywhere.
Jammu and Kashmir has unique physiographic and topographic features that make it a habitat of the plethora of life forms. The forests, the grasslands, the hills, the lakes, the brooks, and the valleys surrounded by hills on all sides offer habitats and safe havens to diverse life forms to grow and flourish. However, over the past few decades, a significant proportion of the diversity is facing an onslaught from all quarters. Many species of mammals, birds, insects, trees, ferns, and mosses that were seen flourishing are now threatened on account of various reasons. Researchers at the University of Kashmir and the University of Jammu along with support from research institutes have been publishing and working on the biodiversity conservation threats and priorities. Biodiversity at all levels be it ecosystem diversity, variety amongst the species, and diversity at gene level all need to be assessed and understood. It has been well understood that more the diversity the more resilient the system more it can withstand the perturbation. We know that various perturbations such as erratic weather phenomena, warming, poaching, pollution, habitat destruction, and habitat fragmentation are the challenges that biodiversity is confronting each day. So far, whatever efforts have been put to conserve the biological diversity and legislations that have been brought in have not led to any significant success. It is imperative to bring in people from the local areas, people who have the sense of ownership to bring a change in the efforts and lead the conservation efforts. Coming back to the slogan and the theme of the year 2021 “We’re part of the solution”. It is the community that can lead the way forward for the conservation and it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have to be a part of the solution. Biodiversity is a part of our heritage and local communities have sentiments attached to the things that are a part of Heritage and we assign value to it and feel attached to it. The majestic Chinar trees, the Walnut trees the Pines, and the Deodars have been considered sacred and have been worshipped and revered bye by the people belonging to different castes, creeds, and religions belonging to the state. In many places, community-led conservation programs are success stories. Jammu and Kashmir has mesmerizing beauty and a county of natural resources. People do not have to find the reasons to conserve biodiversity, the diversity is interlinked with the day-to-day life of the people staying at various places in the UT. There is no charted portfolio of solutions that can work in conserving species. This can happen only when communities agree to the legislations formulated by the Government. Many communities meet their daily activities by harnessing some bioresources and they should come in and agree to adopt sustainable practices of harvesting and utilization. In the last few years trade in high altitudinal medicinal plants has been considered a profitable avenue and unscientific collection by laborers are on the rise. This is causing irreversible damage and loss of the plants and small populations are left behind. Local women had been judiciously harvesting the plants in a sustainable way and the traditional methods though not validated were more scientific and ecologically sustainable. Local people must be included at all levels as they have a direct connection with the biodiversity of the region. The people are more than willing to protect their immediate environment. The local people enjoy the calm tranquil feeling when the area has rich biodiversity understand the intrinsic and extrinsic value of the biodiversity. Protecting biodiversity is rewarding as it provides various ecological and economic benefits. It is important to make the young generation familiar with the forests, the brooks, and the grasslands. We all must know what is in our backyard. We must understand the services the biodiversity provides ask for free. Local people can identify plants that are important, they know their traditional uses and they can easily identify the challenges. It is the people who can come up with mitigation measures that might need some assistance from the academicians and policymakers. We can help in conserving native plant species by developing efficient linkages and partnerships where local communities are not fringes but at the center and they steer the conservation. This International Biodiversity Day, let us all together come and protect what is left, or else we may miss the bus.
Monika Koul is Associate Professor Hansraj College DU
Arjun Adit is Research Scholar, DU