No Rub of the Green

An expert’s guide to what ails India’s reserve forests and national parks

THERE’S AN ominous ring to the title of this book, there are very bad things lurking within, you fear, and unfortunately, for the most part, your apprehensions are wellfounded. And the worst part is that this is not fiction. Jay Mazoomdaar, who has written investigative pieces on environmental issues for several years and for various publications (he is currently with The Indian Express), has now put together this collection — the first half of which, titled ‘Explorations’, discusses various issues in 11 chapters. The second half, ‘Investigations’, is hard-hitting and leaves you wondering if wild animals and places in India have any chance at all to see the promised achche din.

In his introduction, Mazoomdaar sets the tone by writing, “protected forests are the most hostile habitats for investigative journalists. Access...is guarded. Unauthorised entry is punishable by lengthy jail terms. If officialdom doesn’t get you, the mafia — poachers, loggers, encroachers, miners — most probably will.” The “entrenched system, the very antithesis of accountability and reform” remains in place — the status quo is retained no matter what. That says it all: if there was nothing to hide, the authorities and government would welcome all visitors — especially the media — with open arms and show them the green and teeming jungles they have so lovingly nurtured, warts and all. Alas, the opposite holds true.

In the ‘Explorations’ section, Mazoomdaar covers such subjects as the existence of a ‘Snake Devil’ in the Thar desert, whether we should “play god” and rescue injured/old animals from sanctuaries, why poaching thrives (massive profits, low risk), and “romantic myths” about leopards coming to live amongst us because we tolerate each other. There are some encouraging stories too: how Vedanta is being firmly rebuffed by tribals, and how the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple sanctuary in Karnataka has been protected for aeons by the tribals living within. There are also chapters on man-eating tigers, culling and how Project Tiger, which was meant to be a sort of umbrella insurance plan for the good of all animals, has left the poor great Indian bustard for one, high and dry.

It’s the second part of the book, ‘Investigations’, that really makes you feel sick to the stomach. It’s a never-ending, sordid story of a defensive government living in denial, misleading data, shoddy scientific methodology (with useless equipment), a multiplicity of agencies and committees, weak or manipulated management, zero implementation, powerful interests bulldozing through wherever they want, furious locals up in arms, and combinations of these occurring again and again. Laws are bent or broken outright (and retributions are rare) — poachers, insurgents, encroachers, developers, hoteliers run riot — and the government is JAY MAZOOMDAAR Harper Litmus pages 271 ` 399 gung-ho about road-widening and riverlinking projects through the most pristine protected areas. If an investigative agency finds something unacceptable (and probably justly so), another is set up to replace it, generating enough confusion in the process to obfuscate the real issue at hand. We’ve been gloating over the fact, for instance, that greenery and forest cover in India has increased — apparently satellites show so — but the satellites that are used can’t tell the difference between a coconut grove and a tropical forest, or probably even a golf course and a jungle.

Some of the national parks investigated include Sariska (Mazoomdaar had broken the news in 2005 that it only had imaginary tigers. Following his report, it was restocked for breeding, but with tiger siblings), Ranthambore (sudden death), Kanha and Corbett (which, has literally been sold down the river). As an investigative journalist, Mazoomdaar has backed up his findings (and nailed down lies) to two decimal places — the plethora of facts and statistics speak for themselves.

For those already involved in wildlife issues, all this statistical detailing is necessary, but for the impatient lay reader it may detract from the big picture, may make him or her miss the wood for the trees. Perhaps, these could have been footnoted, allowing the narrative to flow stronger. But, the people you really feel for after reading this book are those out there on the frontlines, as it were, trying to do their job in a hostile environment, and facing fire from every quarter, including from their bosses. Mazoomdaar has done a great job in showing us what really goes on in so many of even our most prestigious national parks and sanctuaries. If you read this book and visit any of these places, do raise some of the questions and issues which have been raised here with the authorities: it might jolt them just a little bit and make them realise that not everyone is blind and stupid. But do so only on the last day of your visit. Else, you may not be allowed in.

Ranjit Lal is an author, environmentalist and birdwatcher