The United
Nations General Assembly is honoring wild animals and plants, particularly
endangered and protected species, by designating March 3rd as World Wildlife Day.
In a resolution adopted on December 20, the 193-member General
Assembly selected March 3 because that is the anniversary of the adoption of
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora, CITES, an international treaty that aims to ensure global trade does not
threaten the survival of listed species.
The General Assembly reaffirmed the intrinsic value of
wildlife and its contributions, including “ecological, genetic, social,
economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic,”
contributions, to “sustainable development and human well-being.
Signs
though are ominous as the overwhelmingly mediocre Indian corporate looks for easy money by
exploiting Nature, the beleaguered Indian Government is supplicating. Next few
months will see environmentally sensitive areas opened up for exploitations, I sincerely
hope SC intervenes or RTI spoils it. In the last many decades these people
have sucked up nature, it is the least competent things to do: pay the policy makers and dig the mountains. Moneybags like Vedanta
are quite persistent, now cooling their heels waiting for right opportunity to
strike. CocaCola Indira Nooyi who has become an American citizen, was quite annoyed
when asked about her post retirement contribution to India. She hissed ‘I have
commitments in America’. In the meanwhile one Indian English Channel named her
as among ‘greatest Indian’ alive while other ‘greatest Indians’ alive and dying
didn’t bat an eyelid!! President of India was the host to this amusement. Ofcourse
now that the Bharat Ratna sells Coca cola the world has become much smaller…
Clearly
we are in for a tough time, the brief for new Environment Minister seems clear
and is an indication of things to come. I am not excited about opposition political parties
either on the matters of environment. They all represent human beings, the Indians
who are multiplying and spreading. The environment protection group will become
more aggressive. Greenpeace is a great set of passionate people unlike pliable WWF
(bunch of suckers, I regret having ever associated with them) or BNHS. This
blogger is happy that Russians have released them. The groups that care for environment,
nature, sustainable lifestyles, conservers of traditional wisdoms, modern
insights and marginalized will have to come together. In poorer nations and impoverished
societies exploitation of nature are sold as national cause. Small countries
like Korea or Japan can add billions while Indians dig mountains and forests. The
lines are being drawn we cannot succumb to GDP demands of Neanderthal economists.
The above is the picture of critically endangered Himalayan Wolf.
