`Religion Is Not Doing Enough to Help Wildlife'

GEORGE SCHALLER is one of the first scientists to study and rediscover several rare and charismatic species. These include the mountain gorillas in the Congo, lions in Tanzania, tigers in India, jaguars in Brazil and the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. He has also been researching the wildlife in China, including the giant panda, the Tibetan antelope and the snow leopard. On a recent visit to India, he spoke to RAJAT GHAI on emerging conservation issues. Excerpts from the interview.

- Rajat Ghai

Do you think India has failed in wildlife conservation?

India has not failed. Since Independence, your population has tripled. That means you have to produce more food, which, in turn, means more habitat destruction and more pollution. The only failure is that not enough detailed attention is being paid to the beauty that is left.

Take the case of the Panna Tiger Reserve. They are clearing 200 sq km of forest for a construction project. If you whittle down all your reserves slowly, you will have nothing left. The basic problem in India as elsewhere is that corporations provide the money to get what they want and politicians give the corporations what they want. In democracies, people don’t know enough to elect officials who are genuinely concerned about the future. Destroying habitats to make a few rupees or dollars does not help in the long-term. In fact, we have all failed—universities, governments, departments and the media—in educating officials about the importance of conservation.

India's forests are home to both animals and forest-dwelling communities. It is argued that furthering the interests of one hurts the other. Do we need a different conservation model for India?