India should cautiously handover vast natural resources to Corporations: George B Schaller

BY M L VERMA | FEBRUARY 20, 2017
American Biologist, Conservationist and author George Beals Schaller warned Indian Government that it should handover vast natural resources to corporations cautiously as studies revealed that it was causing immense threat to wild lives and nature reserves. Speaking at Nature Fest organized by Wild Life Institute Dehradoon and Great Himalayan National Park at Sairopa on Feb 11 and 12, Mr. Schaller observed that India is being run by number of corporations and vast natural resources were handed over to these firms, could pose serious threat to natural resources need conserve for the future.

Delivering presentation in the inaugural session at club house of Sairop, Mr. Schaller stressed the need that this should be the message to all India and all living in the world that we should save something for the future and should participate in the conservation. Responding to media queries about rise of frequents leopards attacks on men in hill state of Himachal and other states he said that Leopards are not natural predator of human being as they live in the deep wilderness and dense forests.

He pointed out that Leopards did not prey on human being therefore people should not disturbed its habitat and go in its territory in the night and without having proper equipments as it could accidentally attack one, if intruded suddenly. Mostly Leopards attack men accidentally, should not be killed, however if some wild cat turned frequent man eater, it should be killed to save more human lives. Elaborating his work in Tibetan wild lives, he said that three years ago China has accepted that it must be critical for failure to preserve the Tibetan Plateau as it was building heavy infrastructure there since 1985.

“They realized it after losing 75 per cent of glacial bodies, melting rapidly, expect use as fresh water source, it was no other use for them.” he noted. Presenting his work on Chingtang nature reserve in Tibet, spread over Qinghai province of China to North of Tibet, he said that for first 1000 km no human being or its footprint exists, however china declared it national reserve. Chingtang is large than United Kingdom and 10 percent less than USA. He said that it was one of world most significant wild life refuge, spread in 320000 km . He said that during his field study at NR no animal had seen or no people lives.

Before 2000 he found gruesome link between fleecing Tibetan Antelope and Shatosh yan he said that these Tibetan Antelopes were killed not only for its skin but for wools which are also used for making Shatosh Shawal in Kashmir and rest of world. “Despite China introduced ban and conducting checking at the various posts across the Chingtang borders, it was still being smuggled.” he warned. “It was too late to stop its poaching as nothing had done to stop this, however there should be no problem for subsistence hunting by the Tibetan.” he said.

For getting 150 gram of Shatosh wool hair hunter killing three antelopes, Mr. Schaller during this project in the Chingtang also met with the local Tibetan Tribes who stocked hide of these antelopes as they have nothing to render livelihood or exits in the wilderness. He said that there was more than 30,000 Tibetan Antelopes now they were killed relentlessly and he could saw roughly 990. “The pasture of the Tibetan Antelope is also squeezing with pace of development in China. The Government built up highway and rail in the Chingtang, also confining movement of wild lives as their habitats are shrinking.” Biologist disclosed.

American Biologist, Conservationist and author George Beals Schaller at GHNP

” Chinese regime allotted check of land to the local inhabitants, who had raised barbed wires and fence on their possession however it was creating hurdle in the free movement of wild mule. Few animals who run freely in the open landscapes some time got killed after trapping in the wire.” he revealed. “Chinese government was giving more priority to the development rather preserving nature the nature however it had built some local material wild lives posts in the Ching Tang NR to stop the illegal poaching and hunting.” Schaller said.

Tibet Mule and Yak are others wild animals which was spotted during the explorations. Schaller said that Pamirs mountain ranges spread in Karakoram ranges of Himalayas, on the border of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan he found Marcopolo sheep, which were roughly 19000 in numbers. He said that livelihood of Kargis tribes also run near these sheep, however the somehow they retained its number despite tough life who lives in the steep ranges having 40 percent areas populated by the human beings.

Schaller said that he succeed to spotted Snow leopards in Pamirs mountains of Pakistan beside found Marcopolo sheep in abundance. He hailed the efforts of GHNP to preserve vast rich flora and fauna and also took keen interest in the bird watching along the Tirthan river in the Eco-zone of heritage park. 1933 born, Mr. Schaller’s work in conservation, has resulted in the protection of large stretches of area in the Amazon, Brazil, the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, and forests in Southeast Asia. Due in part to Schaller’s work, over 20 parks or preserves worldwide have been established, including Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Shey-Phoksundo National Park in Nepal.
Article first published in Himvani, the original article can be viewed at the following link [ External link] http://www.himvani.com/news/2017/02/20/india-should-cautiously-handover-vast-natural-resources-to-corporations-george-b-schaller/