|
|
|
Sustainable Development in Mountain Ecosystem at Watershed Level - A Geospatial Approach
P. K. Patanjali
Central Soil & Water Conservation Training & Research Institute (ICAR), Dehradun
P. K. Joshi & K. K. Das
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (NRSA), Dehradun
1. Introduction
So long as the earth preserves her forests and wildlife, man's progeny will continue to exist. This is the Hindu approach towards conservation of ecology (Upanishads). Human beings use natural resources available on earth such as land, water, vegetation, minerals and many others to make a living and to shape their culture. In doing so they change the earth surface enormously. Proper management of available natural resources is vital in today's world where overexploitation by the growing population is taking place at a very fast pace. This overexploitation of natural resources is responsible for all kinds of pollution viz. air, water as well as declining biodiversity and falling water tables. It is quite shocking to know that about 50% of the world's forest has shrunk due to logging. About 65% of the cropped land experienced significant impact on the soil quality (World Resources, 2000-2001).
India being one of the most densely populated nations of the world suffers from a variety of environmental problems. Therefore, it requires a multidisciplinary approach involving inputs from various fields for proper risk assessment to check the problem of environmental degradation at its earliest.
2. Sustainable Development
Development that meets the need of the present without ignoring the needs and options of the future is said to be sustainable. It involves practices of using the available natural resources, keeping in mind the regeneration capacity of that ecosystem. That is to say that their should be a balance between the two processes for minimizing environmental degradation. The World Commission on Environment & Development (WCED, 1987) defined sustainable development as that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Environmental protection is one of the three components of 2002 Johannesburg declaration. It said that the three components of sustainable development, economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars. The declaration emphasizes environmental protection as the only way to have long-term economic progress. Managing the natural resources available is the prime objective and an essential requirement for, sustainable development. Since the natural resources are vulnerable, vulnerability assessment should be considered as part of any developmental process. Initial initiatives should be taken at a local level and then replicated to national level, because sustainable development can only result through participatory planning, considering the role of individual stakeholders as well.
3. Vulnerability Assessment- an indicator for sustainable development
The problem of environmental degradation is more severe in hilly areas where people are poor with small land holdings and poor productivity, where poor accessibility forces them to utilize whatever is easily available. The natural resources in a fragile mountain ecosystem are under severe strain for the past few decades due to their over exploitation for meeting the ever increasing demands for livelihood. In recent years, the growing concern over the environmental degradation of mountain ecosystems has gradually placed mountain issues in environmental and political agenda (Heywood et al., 1994). An example of this growing interest was the formulation of a Mountain Agenda for the UN in 1992. Over exploitation of watershed resources by growing population has resulted in its degradation in most parts of the world (FAO, 1985). Land, water and vegetation are the most vital resources for the survival of man and are needed to be managed efficiently. Sustainable management of these natural resources is the biggest challenge today in these ecosystems and is essential in providing food and feed for human and livestock and environmental security. This can best be achieved by employing the concept of watershed management which aims at integrated use of all the available resources including human and livestock on a sustained basis. For sustainable development of an area identification of the most frequent hazards taking place over past few years in the area may play a vital role in assigning priorities. The assessment of the natural resources, infrastructure facilities and anthropogenic pressures are the essential inputs for the vulnerability assessment in a watershed. In turn the vulnerability assessment can be effectively utilized in the planning for the sustainable development of the watershed and conserving its natural resources. The creation of database of mountain at watershed level is therefore essential so that proper planning strategies can be made that would contribute to the sustainable development of the area.
|
|
|