Community Led Grassroots Fightback against Biodiversity Crisis! What is our Vow to Rewild?! Read this Perspective

Dear Friends and Students

Recently somebody commented on my blog that most of the time I am touching career aspects. What about a climate emergency? Though I did it in the past, let me try to attempt another one. 

Yes, the climate emergency is a burning issue. There is only one Mother Earth! Each one of us on the earth is influencing another in some or other way. We believe in the concept of   Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. It is a Sanskrit phrase in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means "The World Is One Family". One part of the geography is directly or indirectly influencing another part of the world! There is no Planet B though we have Plan B for Education, Food, Shelter and for many aspects of our day to day life!

Look at some of the disasters! We witnessed more than $3.64 trillion losses due to Weather, Climate and Water Extremes between 1970 to 2019 (news.un.org). Can we forget the deadliest drought of Ethiopia in 1983 caused 3L deaths? Can we forget the Bangladesh storm (Gorky) in 1991 caused 138K deaths? The extreme temperature of 2010 in the Russian Federation caused 55K deaths. Bushfires, Australia – 2019-2020 (8 million hectares burned over 9000 buildings and homes destroyed, and 400 deaths (holidify.com)), Volcano Eruption, Philippines – 2020, Swarms of Locusts, Asia-East Africa-India-Middle East – 2020, and Green Snow, Antarctica – 2020 (parts of Antarctica are turning green due to climate change and the bloom of snow algae. Snow algae tend to thrive on temperatures). Recently Monsoon rains have caused devastating floods in Pakistan, leaving millions homeless, destroying buildings, bridges and roads and leaving vast swathes of the country under water(bbc.com).

Nature is angry! Yes, terrible! These disasters are the response of the aggressive Nature. Recently we witnessed yellow crazy ants attack in the southern Indian state. Hundreds of people who live in seven villages complained of crazy ants’ attacks. They are reeling from an infestation of yellow crazy ants. These insects, they say, attack their livestock and affect crop yields, putting their livelihoods in danger. Yellow Crazy Ants are leaving Snakes dead and causing Cattle to go blind. In fact I remember a movie named Empire of the Ants , directed in the year 1977, a science fiction horror film. The movie was all about a heavenly paradise, becoming a hellish nightmare when a toxic spill turns harmless ants into gigantic rampaging monsters! Some of the imaginary things are becoming true in reality!

Is there any solution? Yes and No! Every issue has two sides of the coin! If we ban certain things, it is causing economic loss. If we allow certain things, it is causing environmental loss. Governments are under tremendous pressure about what is right and what is wrong! These types of issues cannot be resolved through regulation or government intervention. Charity begins from the home! Each one of us is responsible and should develop a micro plan to combat the Biodiversity Crisis!

Recently the Scottish community completed historic land buyout, and vows to rewild. The community raised £3.8m via crowdfunding to buy 5,200 acres from the Duke of Buccleuch (positive.news).
 
One of my LinkedIn contacts, Anand Malligavad, a techie turned Lake Conservationist in Bengaluru. The 39-year-old has so far rejuvenated 11 lakes and is currently working three more, apart from four others he helped to revive. He has set a goal of rejuvenating 45 lakes across Bengaluru by 2025 (indiatimes). Interestingly, all these water bodies are interconnected. If we want to rejuvenate Bellandur and Varathur lakes in Bangalore, they have to start it from the 'input lakes' from which the water reaches these two large ones. Once the input is clean, it will automatically clean Bellandur and Varathur," Anand said.

It is not just a few lakes in the Bangalore interconnected. The whole water body system in the form of oceans is interconnected.  Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is an emotional form! The one Ocean is a physical form. 

In fact, the theme or belief of reincarnation is clearly reflected in the Upanishads through the concept of 'Samsara', which means wandering or world. It is the concept that every living being will, after death, come back to life on this Earth in some form, be it animal or human. If we believe in this concept, every action we take today will have a return gift in our next life. If we don’t believe this, even then, every action we take today, our children have to pay the price. 

Charity begins from the home?

What is your share of Fightback against the Biodiversity Crisis?

Ravi Saripalle
Note: Opinions expressed by authors are their own.
Pic credits: pixabay