August 15, 2022 is a historic day for everyone in India. Independence Day commemorates the valiant struggle and victory for sovereign India. Over the last 75 years, India has become self-reliant across many different sectors, while creating new solutions for diverse social problems. At this juncture, it is time for us as a country to explore strategic targets that enable economic and employment opportunities while addressing environmental problems.
This August is a month of torrential rains across India. Extreme weather patterns are causing floods, distress and displacement across different river basins. Our indigenous people, particularly, are the first victims of the climate crisis—since their livelihood depends mainly on lands and natural resources. A report of the summit titled Asia Summit on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples reports that “indigenous peoples in the Asia region inhabit the most fragile ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests, high mountain areas, low-lying coastal areas and floodplains as well as temperate forest.” Let us always remember that whatever begins with our indigenous people will eventually end with us. That is why climate action is the need of our hour.
Another important day we observe in August is World Elephant Day. This day is observed to create awareness about the “critical threats elephants are facing, and to support positive solutions that will help ensure their survival.” Year after year, incidents of human and animal conflicts are increasing. As the human population grows, our forests are distressed and under pressure to meet our domestic and industrial needs. This has led to more interaction and conflicts among wild animals and people for resources.
Experts believe that “effective, well-planned management and holistic and integrated approaches can reduce and minimize conflict in the long term.” It is sad to know that poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks. This badly affects the rate of reproduction and genetic diversity required to ensure healthy elephant populations. Let us remember that our elephants are a keystone species that balance our environment and its health.
India’s 75th Independence Day marks the landmark milestone with the first Ecopreneur India Confluence Edition—featuring our best stories of the last two years. Our website will feature the launch of the Ecopreneur India Confluence Edition in August 2022.
We at The Ecopreneur are creating awareness about the importance of the indigenous people and their role in wildlife conservation for green recovery.
Are you an ecopreneur? Do share your green stories or opinions with us!
Write to us at share@theecopreneur.in
