Prerna Bindra
The conservationist on the ecocide left in the wake of India’s growth.
Why did you write The Vanishing?
Because India’s wildlife is more endangered than ever before. We are at a point where regulations that safeguard wildlife are being seen as impediments to growth. Yet nature is the bedrock on which development rests.
Why is India’s wildlife in such peril?
The same reasons as it is elsewhere: poaching and the loss of habitat. But the key cause is a collapse of political will to conserve.
Can you notice a change?
The vanishing is all around us. The croaking of frogs, the insects that arrive with the monsoon, the howling of jackals and nights lit by fireflies have all diminished in my lifetime.
Is the rate of loss worse than other countries?
No. In fact, India is widely regarded as a global leader in conservation, having pioneered initiatives to protect tigers and other rare species. The country is also custodian of species that are extinct or in serious decline elsewhere, such as the gharial.
What are the success stories?
India still has some 60 per cent of the world’s wild tigers. Protecting tiger habitat has also helped other species, such as the hardground barasingha. Crocodile numbers are now healthy and hunting of migratory Amur falcons has been reduced to zero.
How does loss of wildlife impact people?
Hugely. For example, India lost over 97 per cent of three of its vulture species in a few decades, which has meant the loss of an efficient carcass disposal system. As well as contaminating water and soil, animal remains became available to feral dogs, whose increased numbers coincided with a devastating rabies outbreak between 1992–2006.
What are the solutions?
Making important wildlife habitats and corridors secure, and better protection. Voluntary and fair relocation of communities from core wildlife areas is a win-win, providing undisturbed breeding habitat for animals and better standards of living for people.
INDIA’S WILDLIFE IS MORE ENDANGERED THAN EVER BEFORE.”