WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, ANIMAL PROTECTION AND HUMAN WELL BEING:
AN ESSENTIAL UNITY
By Dr. Michael W. Fox
Synopsis
International efforts to improve human health and wellbeing are now recognizing that such efforts will not succeed if the quality of the human environment is ignored. Improving environmental quality is an integral component of 'planetary CPR' ---environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration.
The importance of improving the health and welfare of domestic animals as an integral component of both 'planetary CPR' and improving human health and wellbeing, is now also gaining recognition. For too long, animal welfare and protection have taken a low priority on the philanthropic, international aid, development and humanitarian agenda. This overview of the essential connections between people, animals and nature presents the case for a more integrative approach to wildlife conservation, human wellbeing, and domestic animal protection and health.
Revisioning Health
The old definition of health as the absence of disease has been broadened by the World Health Organization to include social, economic and environmental considerations. This broader definition may be adequate for urban people, especially those of the industrial West. But for the majority of the world’s rural communities and indigenous (tribal) peoples, it is insufficient. It is inadequate for the formulation of appropriate policies and implementation of effective aid and development programs, because the health and welfare of the domestic animals living with these people and the protection of wildlife, conservation and restoration of natural habitat ('biodiversity' and 'ecosystems') are integral to human wellbeing, on many levels. These include public health, family nutrition, economic security, community sustainability, cultural identity, traditional and spiritual values. Biodiversity and cultural diversity are interlinked, codependent and co-evolved in all ecosystems that include the human species.
Global Biosphere Reserves
The brilliance of the United Nations Man and the Biosphere initiative, which has now identified over 400 Global Biosphere Reserves around the world, is in the recognition of this vital linkage between culture and Nature, and between the integrity of cultural and biological diversity. Such integrity does not imply a preservationist paradigm that seeks to freeze the human and wild and domestic animal and plant co-communities in some kind of static limbo in time and space. Such would be virtual realities, akin to theme parks, requiring constant and costly external correctives.
The Biosphere II project, the experimental, hi-tech but closed human, plant and animal biotic community in the Arizona desert, failed to be a self-regenerative biosystem because of unforeseen consequences that led to a decreasing supply of oxygen. A sustainable, low-input, regenerative biosphere system is one that is open, fluid, and biodynamic, rather than closed, controlled, and 'biostatic.'
Sustainable Biosystems
Sustainable human biosystems are the antithesis of the agricultural, agriforestry and aquatic monocultures of the industrial age. Self-sustaining systems incorporate and enhance biodiversity through locally and bioregionally appropriate polycultures of various domestic plants and animals (i.e. mixed farming, forestry and aquaculture systems); and through the sustainable management and exploitation of natural resources, including wild animals from bees to buffalo, who are treated humanely because they are respected as integral to the wellbeing of both the human community and the entire biotic community.
The factors that are endangering both indigenous peoples and wildlife---i.e. biocultural diversity-in many of these UN-designated Global Biosphere Reserves often have a synergistic effect, as I discovered and documented in one of these Reserves in S. India. The Honey Kurumba tribals in this Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu traditionally adopt sustainable use and management practices of forest resources, including the wax and honey of wild bees, that are now endangered, along with the Kurumbas and other tribal peoples. The Toda tribal pastoralists in this same Reserve, for example, face illegal land encroachment of the traditional grazing lands and the near extinction of their unique Toda white buffalo that are integral to their cultural identity and religion, from a lack of adequate veterinary services. (See Addendum.)
I worked with my wife Deanna Krantz in India for several years where her project advocated and activated several integrated programs based on an expanded World health Organization (WHO-UN) vision of health and human wellbeing. This expanded vision linked the health and wellbeing of domestic animals, upon whom the indigenous peoples are dependent, economically, culturally, and spiritually, with the health and conservation of wildlife.
The protection of wildlife, and conservation and restoration of natural habitat, are linked with the traditional and innovative sustainable farming methods and other community-based, environmentally friendly activities, including social forestry and soil and water conservation practices of indigenous peoples.
The Animal Component
This holistic, integrated paradigm means that Healthcare = Peoplecare + Animalcare + Earthcare. A healthy domestic animal population -- achieved through free community veterinary services, humane education, training in animal husbandry, and enforcement of animal anti-cruelty laws--means improved income for livestock keepers; and control of zoonotic diseases (like rabies and foot and mouth disease) that unhealthy domestic animal populations harbor and variously spread to people and wildlife.
We put into practice a working model project whose replication in other Global Biosphere Reserves would do much to ensure the continued protection and restoration of biocultural diversity because of its grass-roots, rather than top-down, approach of working with the people for the people. Animal welfare is to human welfare, as nature conservation and biodiversity are to human culture and diversity. Hence, the value of an interdisciplinary approach where improvement in the human condition is linked with improving environmental quality, wildlife and habitat conservation, preservation, and restoration, and with domestic animal health, productivity, and welfare through improved veterinary care and humane husbandry education.
More recent, post-colonial efforts to protect wildlife and habitat have involved indigenous peoples in such roles as working as wildlife eco-safari trackers, conservation monitors, and anti-poaching teams; in reducing the adverse impacts of their domestic animals through improved grazing, land management practices, and animal health and productivity; and by adopting economically viable, sustainable agricultural practices and cooperative, socially just marketing networks.
Similar kinds of illegal and legal activities, from poaching and diverting streams to grazing too many animals and poisoning and snaring predators, as we documented in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (see Addendum) are likely to be encountered in other Global Biosphere Reserves. Hence, the need for close collaboration with reliable local NGOs, government officials, village leaders and tribal elders who understand the need for reform, collaborative oversight and effective management, coupled with appropriate animal protection and conservation law enactment and consistent enforcement, and the implementation of economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially just ways to meet the needs of the people.
International organizations like Wildlife Conservation International, and Heifer Project International are adopting the bottom-up rather than top-down approach, working with local NGOs and government authorities at the grass roots, putting compassion into action, and facilitating mutually enhancing symbioses between people, animals, and Nature.
The critical state of the world’s ecosystems and precarious future of most indigenous communities present a global triage situation for those governmental and nongovernmental organizations dedicated to human aid and development, and saving the last of the wild. The UN Global Biosphere Reserve initiative identifies those places and peoples that, given the finite nature of financial and other external inputs and resources, have the best chance of being conserved, protected, and restored.
ADDENDUM
Some Problems in the Nilgiri Global Biosphere Reserve
Thanks to an information network of villagers and tribal peoples who had intimate knowledge of the jungle, and who came to trust our in-field CPR (conservation, preservation and restoration) work in the Nilgiris that began in 1995, we were able to document and report to the appropriate authorities various illegal activities in the Global Biosphere Reserve, which the local people could not do for fear of reprisal, even death.
These illegal activities included: construction of guest lodges, tea shops and temples, and operation of a brick factory in restricted areas; land encroachment for agriculture; grazing livestock in restricted areas; illegal diversion of rivers and streams into private lands and pumping water from same to irrigate cash-crops, and pollution of same by agrichemicals and small industries; expansion of eucalyptus, tea and coffee plantations that seriously depleted and variously polluted the water table; opening up of new roads and illegal improvement of forest roads in the Reserve restricted for use by Forest and Wildlife Departments only; illegal cutting of trees for firewood and lumber; non-sustainable, destructive harvesting of forest products (mosses, lichens, gooseberries, soap nut, tamarind, etc.); movement of un-quarantined, un-inspected and infected livestock into the Reserve; sport hunting, poaching, and sale of wild meat, skins, elephant ivory and other wildlife products; killing elephants and other wildlife with homemade bombs and by shooting, electrocuting, poisoning, and snaring ('snoosing'); illegal removal of cattle manure and the quarrying and removal of rocks and sand; burning of the remains of killed elephants and endangered wildlife guar, tiger, leopard by forest staff to avoid punishment for not catching the killers; procurement of tribal girls for prostitution at local guest lodges, and the killing and suicides of same; misappropriation of foreign funds, which were provided to empower tribal women and to facilitate family planning and economic security, but were used to bribe officials, purchase land and vehicles and to build a guest lodge for eco-tourism; illegal receipt and misappropriation of foreign donations and government funds to operate a bogus animal shelter and refuge that provided no free services to the local community as mandated by its Charter of Incorporation; bribing of various government employees, including high-ranking government officials, roadside check-post officers, police and SPCA animal welfare inspectors, veterinarians falsifying livestock numbers, vaccination records and autopsy reports on wild and domestic animals; providers and purchasers of contaminated and inferior grade food for captive elephants falsifying receipts, and elephant caretakers falsifying body weight, injury and treatment records.
The Indian Institute of Science (IIS) enabled a German student to bring several hives of domesticated bees into the Nilgiri Reserve to study their behavior and adaptability, an extremely irresponsible project that could endanger the wild bees through contagious infections and competition and endanger the traditional sustainable economy of the Honey Kurumbas. IIS scientists have been doing research studies on elephants and other wildlife for decades in the Nilgiris, accidentally killing some, e.g., tranquilizing elephants for radio- collaring. They have shown no evidence of any active and effective involvement in species and habitat protection and restoration at the local level where it is clearly needed and involves cooperative efforts with local peoples and government officials. Doing research for research sake, and not getting involved in the politics of CPR, as elephants and other endangered species are on the brink of extinction, is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Other government and non-government projects like tree planting, introduction of ‘improved’ water buffalo, and growing feed and fodder for local livestock have failed over the years due to poor management, lack of oversight, misappropriation of funds, and limited if any consultation with village leaders and tribal elders whose wisdom is rarely appreciated.
Other major problems included increasing human incursion and settlement with increased pressure on water and fuel wood resources; the accidental introduction of a highly invasive weed like Stephasegria in imported crop seeds; the abandonment of growing traditional, rain-fed and highly nutritious varieties of staple crops like ragi for local consumption; a high population of 'scrub' cattle raised primarily as manure producers (for out-of-state sale as organic fertilizer) and which are extensively grazed, become extremely malnourished, and suffer terribly during the dry season, and which compete with wildlife and spread disease.