Clearly, the message from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for this year’s World Environment Day was to “go wild for life” – with expressed focus on illegal trade. The reason behind the theme, it has relayed, was because “damage from this trade has become so serious and so far reaching that urgent action is needed to reverse it.”
In Nagaland also, as reported by Eastern Mirror, the state’s nodal department took the lead in observing the World Environment Day on Sunday. The Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change also pitched for conservation of forest and wildlife on the occasion –so far, so good. Only, the department concerned also decided to expand its, so to say, responsibilities and dedicate the occasion to “the girl child”.
This is confounding because we have the department of Social Welfare, Women Development and even the Health and Family Welfare for that. This, of course, is not to suggest that the rest cannot be concerned about “the girl child.” But when you already have the leading global environmental authority set the year’s environmental agenda, which by the way could not be more appropriate in the context of Nagaland, why drag in something that is actually outside your brief. The department concerned could have the best of intention behind this venture but it gives rise to some very uncomfortable questions.
Over the years it has been noticed that the preservation of wild life is not enforced by the agencies in letter and in spirit. Except for the usual rhetoric with some banalities from the podium on specially marked days and events there has not been any mass drive to sensitise the people. The agencies do not have to look further because the Naga ethos evolved over generations also stresses strongly on preservation of wildlife and nature. It is with modernity that the nature loving headhunting Nagas turned into the destructive Christian Nagas.
Perhaps, it could have dedicated the day to some of the victims of illegal trade of wildlife. In fact, a day before the WED celebration, the Principal Chief Conservator of the state had written of the “booming illegal trade in wildlife.” Of the many victims he cited, one was the pangolin. Or we could have dedicated it to the tragopan or even the hornbill. Even wild orchids, any wildlife that has been pushed to extinction because of illegal trade.
This also leads to the question of documentation. So the release of the state’s first inventory of forest resources on the occasion of WED was most welcoming. Now, at least, we have something/somewhere to start from. Perhaps, this will help bring sharper focus and accuracy to the plight of our endangered wildlife species.
And hopefully, this will also help our state’s Forest department to accord our endangered wildlife the kind of concern that it has shown to “the girl child.”
