Problems with Exclusionary Conservation
Modern conservation often excludes Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), treating them as encroachers.
“Fortress conservation” has displaced millions globally by creating protected areas without community consent.
These ideas come from colonial views of nature as untouched by humans.
In India, laws like the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and Project Tiger (1973) formalised exclusion.
Importance and Role of IPLCs
IPLCs like Adivasis in India, Masai in Kenya, and Ashaninka in Peru have protected biodiversity for generations.
Their traditional knowledge and sustainable practices are essential for conservation.
Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) urges nations to respect this knowledge.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) supports cultural and institutional rights of IPLCs.
Legal Framework in India
India’s Biological Diversity Act (BDA), 2002, aligns with the CBD’s goals.
It created a three-tier system:
National Biodiversity Authority (central level)
State Biodiversity Boards (state level)
Biodiversity Management Committees (local level)
The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, recognises IPLC land and cultural rights and enables community-led forest management.
The FRA links conservation with justice and democratic governance through village-level gram sabhas.
Articles 244 and 244A of the Indian Constitution provide a framework for Scheduled and Tribal Areas.
The PESA Act 1996 empowers gram sabhas in Scheduled Areas for self-governance and resource control.
Current Global and National Plans
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), adopted in 2022, sets global biodiversity goals including “30 by 30” (protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030).
KMGBF also supports inclusion of IPLCs and their knowledge.
India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAPs) includes 23 targets aligned with KMGBF.
However, the NBSAPs still rely heavily on state-led conservation and underuse decentralised FRA-based models.
The success of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and biodiversity heritage sites depends on respecting FRA rights and gram sabha consent.
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