India Pledges Millions for Global Biodiversity

Mahesh Kumar A/Associated PressPrime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD, India

India will be the first nation to contribute funds toward international targets aimed at protecting the world's biodiversity, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.

The Indian government will earmark $50 million toward reaching the so-called Aichi targets, 20 goals set in Nagoya, Japan, two years ago to curb damage to the world's ecosystems and the extinction of its plants and animals, the prime minister said, speaking at a United Nations conference on biodiversity in Hyderabad.

A commitment to an international effort on the environment represents a shift for the country, which has refused to accept mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

“In recent years, it has become increasingly more difficult to find common ground on environmental issues,” Mr. Singh said. “This is, indeed, unfortunate given that there is today a much higher global awareness of environmental risks and concerns.”

This consciousness should provoke nations to “greater action even as we cope with the pressures of the current global economic downturn,” he said. (Read the full speech here.)

Though intended only as a start, India's contribution is just a small fraction of the estimated $80 billion necessary to halt the extinction of species and preserve natural sites, according to a new study by BirdLife Internation al.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Environment and Forests estimates that India spends around 110 billion rupees ($2 billion) per year on protecting the environment. That number includes projects that directly conserve nature, like creating protected areas for endangered species, and more indirect means like creating “green jobs” through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, ministry officials said.

While scientists and environmentalists welcomed the Indian government's international commitment Tuesday, many say the government pursues policies at home that emphasize rapid growth â€" especially in areas like farming, mining and urbanization â€" at the expense of the environment.

India is considered to be one of the world's 17 “megadiverse” countries, and is home to 45,000 types of plants and 90,000 types of animals, according to United Nations estimates. But as a growing economy and fast-rising population increase demands for the Earth's resour ces, rapid expansion in commercial agriculture and urban development have threatened many of those species.

“All over the country you find that, in the name of economic growth, ecosystems are being diverted for destructive projects like mining and nuclear power plants,” said Ashish Kothari, founder of the environmental group Kalpavriksh.

Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, said that while India once took the lead in conservation efforts, the government is no longer serious about protecting the country's wildlife.

“The forest and wildlife habitats of India are biodiversity hotspots that have to be protected under any circumstances,” said Ms. Wright. “And for that, we need leadership to show a very strong policy view on protecting biodiversity, forest land and wildlife. But they just say we're spending millions without pushing the policy that reflects that commitment.”

Activists acknowledge that the governme nt has passed some strong legislation to protect the environment but say it often fails in implementation.

For instance, in his speech Mr. Singh heralded the Forest Rights Act, which gives property and resource rights to the mainly tribal communities that live in forests, as an example of “new models of inclusive conservation.” Mr. Kothari said the act went far to preserve forests and the rights of forest dwellers but was often not enforced in forests with mining interests.

“Legislation that is supposed to save forest people's rights is not being implemented, and on the other hand massive land-grabbing is taking place in the name of development,” Mr. Kothari said.

Government officials argue that India is balancing the need for development with the need to protect its environment.

“We really have an excellent record, you know, considering the population and biodiversity we support on our relatively small piece of land,” said M.F. Farooqui, the Ministry of Environment and Forests official overseeing the United Nations biodiversity convention. “We are striking the right balance between the imperative for growth and development and at the same time the need for sustainability and biodiversity.”

During his speech, the prime minister said that conservation efforts were especially necessary for the poor, who disproportionately depend on the ecosystem for their livelihoods. “India's initiatives acknowledge the correlation between biodiversity conservation and poverty eradication,” Mr. Singh said. “Our efforts have focused on biodiversity conservation while protecting and promoting livelihoods, particularly in our rural areas.”

Madhusudan Katti, an ecologist at California State University who co-authored a report titled “Cities and Biodiversity Outlook,” which was released at the convention, said that half of India's population is expected to live in cities by 2045, but that the cities need to be better planned to co-exist with a wide range of species.

“If urban development pays attentions to ecological needs, then you could incorporate elements that allow for the movement of animals and so on,” he said. “A lot of Indian wildlife has actually evolved to life around the edges of human inhabitations. But I don't see the government â€" or ecologists â€" giving much attention to these big changes that are happening in terms of urbanization and climate change.”

Government officials say they recognize how environmental damage from growth hurts human lives and are working to fix it. For instance, Bangalore is currently spending 1.4 billion rupees (about $30 million) per year to revive its polluted lakes, many of which are too toxic to support aquatic life.

“Bangalore is a very unique city because there is no running water around,” said Brijesh Kumar, who heads the project. “So Bangalore is very critically dependent on lakes for drinkin g water and ecosystem services.”

Mr. Singh also said that the Indian government created a 34 million-page database of traditional medicinal and agricultural techniques, in order to fight patents issued on traditional knowledge like Ayurveda â€" a major concern at the convention â€" and that it would increase efforts to save endangered species like snow leopards and lions.

The rest of the convention on biological diversity, which ends on Friday, will focus on how many other countries agree to the Nagoya protocol and provide resources to meet the Aichi targets.

“Diversity is nature's insurance against extreme events that may disturb the delicate balance of this planet,” said Mr. Singh. “We need to work together and act before a catastrophe is upon us.”