| Tell me first how an Uttar Pradeshi
landed up so far from the Indian heartland and what exactly
is the AGMUT cadre to which you belong?
It's simple. When anyone joins the Forest Service, the government
allots you to a state, not necessarily the one you originally
came from. In my case I was allotted the Union Territory Cadre,
which we refer to as AGMUT - Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and the
Union Territories. I must have done something good in my previous
janam (life) because my postings will almost invariably now
be to one or other of these beautiful places!
And what was your academic preparation for your current
job?
I went to school in Uttar Pradesh as a young boy, completed
my graduation and post-graduation from Lucknow University
and then joined the Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow
as Junior Research Fellow with a CSIR fellowship.
Were you headed for a career in pure science?
Not really. Chemistry always fascinated me, but after completing
an M.Sc. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1983,
I altered direction because I wanted to work in the area of
forests. For this I actually had to "go back to school"
and opted for an AIFC diploma, equivalent to an M.Sc. in forestry,
or an MBA.
As simple as that? Can one just change course mid-stream
and head towards Chief Wildlife Wardenship?
(Laughing) Nothing is ever so simple. I was no doubt interested
in wildlife, but all forest jobs are not necessarily wildlife
jobs. I had to "go through the mill", before I was
able to land up in this heavenly place! For years and years,
I had to study silviculture and forestry - both of which are
really interesting subjects - but it was only when I joined
the A&N Administration in March 1998 as Chief Wildlife
Warden that my dream to work hands-on with wildlife came true.
Protecting the wildlife of the A&N Islands is a crucial
assignment. How come you were entrusted with such a key portfolio
without any previous experience?
Over the years, working in the heart of forests, an understanding
of nature seeps into you almost by osmosis. To that extent
almost all forest officers are experienced. Besides, protecting
wildlife is not the "touch and feel" kind of experience
that most people visualise. In truth, more than 95 per cent
of our task is administrative.
Surely protecting sharks and dolphins and rainforests
must mean more than that?
It means much more to me, personally. But as Chief Wildlife
Warden, apart from an inner respect and concern for nature,
my prime qualification must be an understanding of the law,
the way the government works and an ability to manage and
motivate people.
In which other locations have you served?
Soon after I passed out from the Indian Forest College, Dehradun
in 1985, I worked as a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in
the rainforests of Mizoram where I was the Planning Officer
till July 1993. After this I joined the Forest Survey of India
in Dehradun as its Deputy Director and right up to March 1998
I was given the opportunity to document and assess the forest
cover around the whole country. This was a life-changing experience
for me as I could see before my eyes how our forests had vanished.
I am grateful for the chance to play a role in defending them
today.
So what does your job entail? How do you go about saving
this exquisite island paradise?
I am, quite simply, charged with enforcing the Wildlife (Protection)
Act. I try to do this with all available resources, which
I must confess are sometimes hopelessly inadequate. For instance
the forest department does not even have a sea-worthy boat
to travel to most of the islands in our charge. But, fortunately,
we have an excellent working relationship with other departments.
With humility and an attitude of learning and trust, we get
by.
Do others actually come forward to help?
Nature is such a powerful force that it creates people to
defend it. Take the example of the little-known Edible-nest
Swiftlets Collocalia fuciphaga. Dr. Ravi Sankaran, a scientist
with the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural
History (SACON) accompanied me in December 1998 to inspect
the natural caves where these birds nest on Interview Island.
Ravi's life is devoted to saving these birds and all his knowledge,
experience and concern is available to us to save the species.
Commander Abu Talah of the Coast Guard is another example
I can quote of a person willing to help at every juncture.
Our forest staff works against all odds to patrol the most
vulnerable areas. When our network of informers among the
fishermen let us know about the movement of foreign poachers,
we alert the police and Coast Guard. But clearly we need to
do more.
Is yours a dangerous job?
Not any more dangerous than yours! I have to say nevertheless
that the possibility of an unwanted encounter with temperamental
feral elephants on Interview Island did once give me an anxious
moment or two, particularly when we lost our way and had to
walk five hours to the swiftlet nesting site!
But most wildlifers suggest that wild animals are the least
of their problems.
They are right. The real danger comes from humans who wish
to cash in on the profitable wildlife trade. Though it is
the Coast Guard that is in charge of protecting our waters
from armed international poachers, we must always be prepared
for encounters with criminals who are better armed and equipped
than we are.
As a 'land-lubber', how did you take to the seas?
Surprisingly well, actually. But it took all the will and
determination I had. En route to the Cinque Island Sanctuary
in April 2000, for instance, the weather suddenly took a turn
for the worse and our tiny fibreglass boat with its OBM engine
proved to be quite inadequate. With strong winds, high waves
and no signs of an end to the storm, we thought the boat would
capsize. Not a happy thought when you consider that I can
hardly swim! But an alternate route took us there (in three
hours instead of 45 minutes) and we got the job done.
What would you say are your main constraints as Chief
Wildlife Warden?
The fact that this is an archipelago makes our problems
very different from those on the mainland. To begin with,
islands are more prone to extinctions, because species have
no space to retreat to in case of stresses such as disease
or ecological change. On top of this, we have hardened criminals
who come from neighbouring countries to poach species such
as estuarine crocodiles and other marine species such as sharks
and sea cucumbers. I feel hamstrung in Port Blair sometimes,
when I cannot physically challenge them.
The department desperately needs its own boats that are capable
of speeds of around 25 knots so that we can outrun the fast
boats of poachers. And a couple of larger boats, capable of
crossing the hazardous Ten Degree Channel that divides the
Andaman and Nicobar group of islands are a must.
You certainly have a huge area to protect.
Yes, there are 349 islands in the A&N chain, scattered
over a distance of 400 nautical miles from north to south.
Each is a biological treasure trove. The collective length
of the coastline is approximately 2,000 km. Here there are
innumerable mangrove creeks, the breeding grounds of most
marine organisms. You can well imagine how difficult it is
to patrol such terrain.
The bottom line is that we are losing our biodiversity
much too fast. Tell me frankly, is your staff equal to the
task of protection?
To be honest, no. But then neither is the staff in our
tiger reserves equal to the task of saving tigers. This is
not the fault of the staff, who are as capable and brave as
anyone else. All forest departments suffer from insufficient
manpower, a lack of effective training programmes, inadequate
mobility and communications. We consistently ask for more
realistic allocations to develop our infrastructure and to
build our capacity for protection. I do not know why, but
I suppose we are low on the national priority.
In such a situation how can the coral reefs of the Andamans
be saved?
Mercifully, in most places where deforestation-related
siltation has not choked them, the coral reefs in the A&N
islands are still among the healthiest in the world. This
was recently confirmed when the Reefwatch Marine Conservation
scuba-diving team, of which you were a part, provided evidence
that we were spared the coral bleaching that El Ninõ
caused in reefs across the world, including Lakshadweep.
However, there are patches where live coral formations are
low because of faulty agricultural practices, strong currents,
wave action, long exposure to sunlight during low tides, oil
spills and pollution.
Who monitors this?
We have recently started a regular survey and monitoring programme
of coral reefs in 19 major sites. Sarang Kulkarni, a marine
biologist who accompanied you on the Reefwatch survey is working
with us on a contract basis and the first survey results are
in. But we have a long way to go. I am hopeful that in the
next few months this work will be greatly enhanced.
But you do not even have a team of scuba divers. How are
you going to survey or protect corals?
We are in the process of training our field staff in coral
survey and monitoring methods, scuba diving and digital data
processing. Additionally, we are undertaking an outreach programme
that seeks to share the worth of corals with the general public,
particularly local youth. Brochures, booklets and posters
highlighting the importance of coral ecosystems have been
published and distributed. We hold regular nature camps for
students in the Marine National Park at Wandoor. We are doing
what we can.
Why don't you have a training programme for scuba diving?
Do you dive?
Not yet! But I recently met with Mitali Kakar of Reefwatch
who offered to train forest and Coast Guard people without
charge. I understand several Coast Guard volunteers have put
up their names. I will be the first among forest officers
to volunteer for this training... we can then go diving together!
The Centre is funding the training of our staff in survey
and monitoring techniques for coral reefs. Both scuba diving
and database management are a part of this effort. You certainly
have your hands full. What are the immediate priorities ahead
for the Chief Wildlife Warden of the A&N Islands?
1. Improve our communications network (a high frequency wireless
network has just been allotted).
2. Build capacity for reef survey and monitoring work.
3. Set up staff training for data processing, wildlife research
and scuba diving.
4. Improve mobility for protection staff by procuring high
speed sea-worthy vessels.
5. Arm forest staff adequately.
We have requested the Government of India to enable us to
do all this, but it would be good to have marine and rainforest
conservation groups around the world spend some of the huge
sums of money they collect from their supporters to protect
the global biodiversity heritage that is the A&N Islands.
What about our own scientific institutions? Are they supporting
you?
We do work with a host of scientific institutions, including
the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Sálim Ali Centre
for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Indian Institute
of Remote Sensing (IIRS), National Botanical Research Institute,
Forest Research Institute, Department of Marine Biology of
the Annamalai University, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). WII is even helping
us to write a management action plan for the Mahatma Gandhi
Marine National Park at Wandoor. A UNDP project on turtles
and some research projects are also in the pipeline.
Is this resulting in hard-core protection on the ground?
With SACON, we are exploring ways to implement technologies
for farming Edible-nest Swiftlet nests in a way that allows
the birds to feed in the wild. We hope this will ultimately
protect wild nests. If successful, the project could provide
a sustainable livelihood for locals. IIRS, Dehradun is working
on biodiversity characterisation using remote sensing coupled
with ground inventories. A lot of work is on to document the
flora and fauna of the islands. All these initiatives will
help improve protection.
Is the Central Government doing enough?
It funds a number of our schemes. Short duration projects
include the development of national parks and sanctuaries,
management and conservation of coral reefs in the A&N
Islands, management and conservation of mangroves in the A&N
Islands and the Management Action Plan of Great Nicobar Biosphere
Reserve. Longer term projects include the establishment of
a biological park at Chidiyatapu and a Government of India/UNDP
project on the management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems
in the A&N Islands.
The recently concluded rapid survey by Reefwatch did not
reveal a single shark! And the sea bed seems to have been
vacuumed clean of sea cucumbers. What's to be done?
We know about the shark finning carried out to cater to the
demand for soup in the Far East. It's a terrible practice.
Added to my woes as Chief Wildlife Warden is the fact that
no one has undertaken a study to assess the status of either
sea cucumbers or sharks in the Andamans. Worse, neither species
is protected by any schedule of the Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972. We have asked that this situation be remedied.
Let's wait and see what happens.
After devastating reefs in different parts of the world,
tour operators are lobbying to be given a free hand in the
A&N Islands. How are you going to tackle this problem?
I know about the impact of destructive tourism and we will
not allow that brand of visitor to run riot in this ecologically
fragile area. But this does not mean that we should be against
all kinds of tourism. In fact, by selling our destination
as a pristine haven, we can keep out the loud and garrulous
hordes, and promote sensitive eco-tourism. By imparting ecological
awareness among national and international tourists, this
could very well help achieve our educational objectives as
well.
And what about timber felling? Is this going to come to
a halt?
Actually, timber operations are in sharp decline in the Andamans.
I am not aware whether there is a clear policy to phase out
this activity completely, but it is already a shadow of what
it was.
Are you planning to increase the protected area network
in the A&N Islands?
We already have 96 wildlife sanctuaries and nine national
parks here. We intend to protect these well, rather than merely
increase the number.
Do you have a good working relationship with local NGOs?
Yes we do, though they often expect miracles from us! The
Andaman & Nicobar Environment Team (ANET) helps us to
protect turtles and survey reefs, the Society of Andaman &
Nicobar Ecology (SANE) and the Andaman Prakritik Sansad keep
us informed of conservation issues and we coordinate action
with them.
Is there a message you would like to send to the children
of India?
Yes. That some of us are working to protect a heritage that
belongs to them. Also that the ocean is the origin of all
life on earth, and their future depends on the survival and
health of the sea. That they should not repeat the mistakes
of the generations that have gone before them and should learn
to live with nature rather than try and rule it. |
