India has a rich variety of natural resources. It has 713,789 Sq km of forest cover, more than 50,000 species of plants,102,718 species of fauna of which insects alone include 61,375 species. There are about 10,360 rivers and their tributaries longer than 1.6 km each. It also has a variety of landforms. These resources must be protected from over exploitation and pollution. Thereby making sustainable management and nature conservation essential for ecological balance.
Sustainable management and Nature conservation are not new terms in our country. Principles of conservation and sustainable management were well established since pre historic India. Our Literature such as Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis are full of such examples. Our ancestors used what we call today traditions as conservation measures
Bishnoi tribe of Western Rajasthan worship nature. Over the centuries they have, protected and conserved forests, trees and wild animals in and around their villages. Bishnois do not cut trees for fuel and timber; they remove only the dead trunks and twigs. Bishnoi community was the one who started the Chipko movement in 18th century. Villagers hugged the trees and encircled them to prevent being hacked. Spotted deer, black buck and blue bull can be seen in their fields. Even if the crop is consumed by herds of deer, the Bishnois do not chase away the animals.
Tribes such as Mundas and Santhal of Chota Nagpur worship the Mahua and Kadamba trees. Tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship Tamarind trees and Mango plants.
Sacred groves are forests conserved in the name of God and are considered to be sacred. In fact, these are preserved by society and not by the government. India has more than 1 Lakh sacred groves. People also considered some rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari as sacred and protected them. People also considered plants with high medicinal value such as neem , Tulsi sacred and protected them. People also considered plants with high medicinal value such as neem , Tulsi sacred and protected them.
Indian children’s literature Panchatantra is a popular storybook translated in many languages. The book tells stories in the form of speaking animals and trees and create awareness about the environment. It helped to develop a love for animals among children and their conservation in future. We must update our conversation methods with the changing time and continue to conserve nature.