ECOLOGY AND EQUITY. Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha. Pengiun Publications. Price Rs 150-1996
the issues of environment and ecology are intricately embedded in the socio-economic milieu in India. The coexistence of a substantial number of forest-dependent tribals and the mismanagement of resources is the reason for this. Poverty, and an indifferent bureaucracy add to the complexity of the situation. So what should be done about this and moreover, who should do it?
Gadgil and Guha are more than vociferous about the fact that ecological decentralisation is the key to striking and maintaining a balance between the use and misuse of resources. The book alleges that the administration is only oriented towards resource exploitation. By doing so, it is posing a major threat to the ecological health and demographic oneness of the country, something that has manifested itself in the form of unrest in different parts of the nation. Discussing the arbitrariness of land and forest-related regulations, the authors lament the decreasing rights and obligations of the original inhabitants of the forest.
An intellectual effort to redress this seems to have inspired Gadgil and Guha to write this well-researched book. The book examines various impediments to the process of ecological amelioration and suggests corrective measures. Divided into two parts, the first part of the book discusses the basic framework of socio-economic disparity and the resultant stress on the ecology. The second part is an analytical presentation of various environmental problems along with feasible suggestions in terms of strategies for ecological planning, promotion and coordination.
According to the authors, if the antagonism ecological or otherwise has to disappear, it can only happen when the processes of ecological planning and development become participatory and transparent. 'Enclaves of industry' and 'intensive agriculture', prospering parasitically on the resources of hinterlands which in turn get impoverished have to be done away with. It is the authors' hope that such a task can be accomplished by handing over control to locals: forging a marriage of folk knowledge and wisdom with modern scientific understanding.
The assessments and analyses are very intense and the book presents a sincere account of the ecological health of the country. However, the arguments carry the cliched sense of being anti-government. A more equitable sharing of credits and blames would have been in order. Though the book might be a bit heavy on general readership, its contents are holistic and complete. The excellent and painstaking exercise by the duo is supported by photographs and illustrations. However, the inclusion of interviews with environmentalists, bureaucrats and commoners would have made the difference between an excellent work and a lifetime's contribution to the subject.
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