2010; Gabriel 2006:25).
In addition to the application of the public participation modality of forest conservation, the governments of the region are also implementing special forest rehabilitation projects such as India which introduced the Green India Mission under the National Climate Change Action Plan and National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem; Nepal has initiated REDD.
Similarly, Pakistan and India have initiated the program for Combating deser- tification on Thar Desert in their boundaries. Bangladesh and India have been running the Reforestation of Mangrove program and conservation program for Sundarban, and most recently, the Tiger Conservation project has begun with joint efforts of Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. It is too early to forecast about the success of the Forest Rehabilitation program. The governments of the region have not given the high priority to it (Kant et al. 2010). In addition to these major efforts of forest conservation, the governments have established extensive networks of protected area systems and conservation area systems. Nepal, India, China, and Bangladesh have recently initiated the greater landscape conservation programs on the basis of the connecting the corridors approach. In recent years, there is a growing tendency of civil society involvement in conservation.
All four countries have signed or are a signatory of most of the humani- tarian and environment-related international treatises, conferences, and agree- ments. In this regard, for the entire region, the role of NGOs and CBOs is very important. They are also equally involved in the international campaigns and advocacy and showing strong present in the global context as well.
7.9 Conflict in the Utilization of Natural Resources in South Asia
The four countries of this study have been facing various conflicts, especially Pakistan, which has the problem of terrorism, and Nepal, which is still facing a Maoist insurgency. However, natural resource-based conflicts are similar in all four countries. The flowchart in Figure 7.3 shows the causes and consequences of conflicts in natural resources’ utilization.
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Figure 7.3 Flowchart showing the causes and consequences of conflicts in natural resources’
utilization.
Source: Adopted from UNEP (1999:23).
As illustrated in the flowchart above and IUCN’s research, varieties of conflicting issues related to natural resources management are present in every of the four studied countries. These South Asian governments have begun to apply a people-first approach to conservation which might improve the situation in due course (Hassan 1994; Burki 1993; Noman 1991; Addleton 1992; Menke 2009).
Among the four countries, WWF and IUCN have been playing very important roles in Pakistan to reduce the tension in natural resource man- agement. Regardless of the conflicts, from the 1980s, the IOs mostly WWF and IUCN have been helping to raise the awareness of conservation of nature and natural resources. In the 1980s, WWF was actively involved in research on natural resource condition and recommended for the legal and institutional development in the country, which was a big millstone in establishing a protected area system in Pakistan (Somuncuet al.2009). The establishment of protected area did not help to reduce the conflicts in the country, however, provided the know-how to involve the local stakeholders to resolve the conflict in the conservation field. Similarly, the IUCN was invited by the government of Pakistan to help with the preparation of its National Conservation Strategy (NCS) back in 1982. Since then, the IUCN has helped the government of Pakistan to prepare all national, provincial, and even the district level conservation strategies as well as for the preparation of forestry master plans and wetland conservation plans and policies. Regarding the mit- igation of conflict, IUCN has been closely working with the all stakeholders including local people. In sum, IUCN is playing a very important role in
7.9 Conflict in the Utilization of Natural Resources in South Asia 153 helping to reduce conflicts on natural resources and park people conflicts (based on the discussion with IUCN officials and government and NGOs’
leader in Karachi in July 2009). In addition to that, IUCN has also played an important role for the people participation in protected area management. A similar kind of conflict occurred in Nepal with a Maoist insurgent for about 12 years, which also has a direct impact over on natural resources at the community level (USAID 2006).
The natural resource conflicts never completely go away (FAO 1998), though most often those conflicts in the region are settled by the local stakeholders and governments, but sometimes IO such as FAO, WWF, IUCN, etc., also become involved to solve such crises (silent valley case of India was the exemplary case).
This chapter presents the overall comparative account of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan including a brief account of the four coun- tries, whereas India holds the largest in terms of territory, demographics, economics, and health profiles. This chapter also examines governance per- formance (higher score better on rank). Among the four countries studied, we looked at six governance performance indicators such as (1) voice and accountability (rank and estimation), (2) political stability and absence of violence, (3) government effectiveness, (4) regulatory quality, (5) rule of law, and (6) control of corruption; India appears the best performing country. To examine the economic and social competitiveness of the country which is the only available measurement technique of overall competiveness (basic requirements; efficiency enhancers; innovation; and sophistication factors), India appears the best among the four. However, in terms of the environ- mental performance of four countries, which was measured with 10 variables (1) environmental burden of disease; (2) water resources for human health;
(3) air quality for human health; (4) air quality for ecosystems; (5) water resources for ecosystems; (6) biodiversity and habitat; (7) forestry; (8) fish- eries; (9) agriculture; and (10) climate change, Nepal appears as the best performing country, because of its geographical remoteness, protected area coverage, and also environmental policies and its management practices.
Additionally, the chapter also provides a comparative overview of the environmental conservation movements in the four countries with a focus on forest conservation. India is the only country of the four that is able to maintain its forest system efficiently (no decrease in forestry since last 10 years or so). In the other three countries, forest degradation is still tak- ing place. All four countries have made use of the western protected area management system (top-down, army protection, non-involvement of local
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people, etc.). However, in recent years, all four countries have introduced the people participation approach for conservation of forestry and protected area system. In this new approach, IUCN has been playing a critical role in policy formation, project planning, and implementation in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, whereas, India has working alone because of its own knowledgebase in conservation field. Since 2007, India has allowed IUCN to operate its conservation programs; however, its role is only as a facilitator not as influential at it has been in the other three countries.
The following chapter elaborates IUCN’s role for environment conserva- tion in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
8
IUCN’s Role for Conservation of Nature in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan
The chapters above unveiled the IUCN’s policies and programs at the global scale, its strengths and weakness on the basis of opinions of the stakehold- ers, similarities and differences of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, measured by competitiveness, advancement in environmental conservation, biodiversity, quality of protected areas, public participation in conservation, and natural resources’ conflict management. This chapter reviews IUCN’s role in conservation and analyzes how programs and policies are imple- mented and utilized among four countries of this study. This chapter identifies differences in IUCN’s position among these four countries, by examining the conservation programs, funding mechanisms, and policy intervention (resolutions), and finally analyzes public opinions of IUCN’s role.
The IUCN has been demonstrating that the biodiversity is fun- damental to addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges:
tackling climate change, achieving sustainable energy, improving human well-being, and building a GE. “IUCN helps the world find pragmatic solutions to most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organiza- tions, United Nations agencies, companies, and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws, and best practice”
(IUCN 2011).
In the country-specific cases, IUCN prepares and runs various programs on the basis of its strengths, i.e., science, action, influence, and empowerment, on the five themes such as biodiversity, climate change, sustainable energy, human well-being, and GE, supported by 12 supportive programs. As out- lined in Chapters 4–7, IUCN works on building nature protection programs in states by ‘invitation only,” whereas in the case of countries of different
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156 IUCN’s Role for Conservation of Nature
capacities, it utilizes the need-based approaches, by playing a natural role.
In the case of case study countries, IUCN has been mostly playing the role on knowledge dissemination and environmental inventory development and research and helping the governments in preparing national conservation strategies of various sectors. In addition, it has been running hundreds of projects to enhance the capacity to protect the biodiversity, particularly in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. However, in India, there is no direct IUCN’s participation in national policy preparation and program intervention was begun only in 2007. In contrast, India has been helping Nepal in conservation policy formation, management, and implementation throughout the history, even while it was under British colonial rule. This chapter explores the cases of IUCN’s attempt to build the programs designed to preserve and/or protect nature, including policy development, with precise examples of its activities in four countries.