About a magical marsh and the grasslands,
forests and scrub that surround it. Created by shikaris of
yesteryear, the future of Bharatpur’s Keoladeo National
Park now lies in the hands of younger people with changed
attitudes towards our planet.
Keoladeo Ghana was once best known as the only wintering habitat
of the rare Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus, in India. The
cranes stopped visiting since 2002, but come October, every
eye still scans the sky in the forlorn hope that the ‘white
angels’ will return to their winter home in the heart
of Rajasthan.
A World Heritage Site, the destination is visited each year
by over 125,000 tourists, more than a third from overseas.
This tiny 29 sq. km. pocket of biodiversity is a veritable
goldfish bowl for students and researchers and is one of the
most celebrated migratory bird habitats in Asia.
Once the private duck shooting preserve of the Maharajas of
Bharatpur and their guests, the Park plays host to 388 species
of birds, both resident and migratory.
The
Bharatpur Inheritance is a photographic tribute to
this wild haven and to the stalwarts, past and present, whose
lives were spent defending and studying its diversity. The
book showcases some of the finest images ever taken in this
exquisite and fragile Rajasthani forest and these are supplemented
with texts by the most respected and accomplished bird experts,
researchers and writers.
This book seeks to:
Sow seeds of appreciation for our threatened biodiversity
We have showcased the work of some of the most talented photographers
and sensitive writers of our times as a tribute to Bharatpur’s
Keoladeo swamp – an ambassador for wetland protection
across India.
Underscore the immense value and worth of the Bharatpur
Inheritance
Ringed by crop monocultures, this tiny 29 sq. km. vault harbours
50 species of fish, 27 species of mammals, five species of
frogs and toads, 28 species of reptiles, 379 species of plants
of which 96 are wetland plants and 388 species of birds. As
habitats and species dwindle across the Indian subcontinent,
Protected Areas such as Keoladeo Ghana take on a new and vital
significance. Protecting this inheritance is not an option,
it is an imperative.
Remind us to honour and respect protectors, past and
present
Aware that the swamps were created to satiate the desire
to hunt and kill, we acknowledge nevertheless that the
shikaris
of yore were excellent naturalists and pragmatic conservationists
who knew their birds and understood the need to guarantee
avians food and shelter so as to ensure that they kept returning
year after year. Today, a new breed of humans ranging from
forest officers and bureaucrats, to writers, photographers
and professionals of all descriptions, seek to protect Bharatpur
for posterity against all odds.
We owe them our undying gratitude and respect.
Emphasise the importance of securing our Natural Capital
The Nature Capital embedded in the mixed ecosystems of Bharatpur
far exceeds the monetary value of gold and jewels that humans
down the ages have traditionally considered worth accumulating…
and stealing. This natural wealth, best measured by the diversity
of species listed above as made the wetlands, grasslands,
scrub and forests of Keoladeo into a mega-water harvesting
structure on which the viability of farms and factories and
homes is dependent. Protecting Bharatpur’s environment
amounts to working for the long-term economic viability of
people living around the Park.
Provide a rationale for wildlife protection as development
With climate change now a reality, the wetlands and their
supporting ecosystems are the most effective hedge humanity
has against future floods and droughts.
Help protect the inheritance of generations unborn
As mere trustees of the natural heritage of our children,
we cannot sit idly by while some indulge in the ultimate colonisation
adventure – inter-generational colonisation. If they
continue to poison Rajasthan’s ground water and destroy
the biodiversity that alone can restore health and equilibrium
to devastated lands, today’s politicians and planners
will not be remembered well.
The Editors
