On the face of it, India has a fairly reasonable wildlife conservation record. Protected areas cover 5.2 percent of the land mass. Large mammals like elephants and tigers continue to survive. The sarus crane, the world's tallest flying bird, is endangered but not extinct from the wilderness like it is in Thailand. Similarly, the rhinoceros, which has vanished from Burma and Vietnam, is still found in India.
Behind these superficial successes, there are many failures rooted in conservation policy. India's wildlife refuges are currently under tremendous pressure. The examples from Arunachal Pradesh are particularly compelling. According to conservation biologist Ghazala Shahabuddin, 50 percent of India's flowering plants, 50 percent of its birds, and around 25 percent of its mammals have been spotted in this state, which has been identified as a biodiversity 'hotspot'. She also points out that scientists have discovered several species of mammals there, some even within the last five years. Yet, there are 13 massive hydroelectricity projects planned for the state. Engineering projects of this scale entail new roads, reservoirs and infrastructure. Hydrology and ecosystems will be dramatically altered and locals will be displaced.
Meanwhile, conservationists remain divided over a 'people versus wildlife' dilemma. First, there are the 'purists' who want minimal or no human presence in wildlife sanctuaries, and there are others who claim, with considerable justification, that evicting people without adequate thought and provisions for relocation impoverishes the communities and turns them against conservation efforts. But as debates prolong, increasing competition over natural resources has led to the encroachment of wildlife areas by large urban, industrial projects. Since 2004, some 250,000 hectares of forest land has been opened up to mining. It cannot be 'business as usual'. Shahabuddin's book Conservation at the Crossroads is, therefore, particularly timely.
Many of India's wildlife refuges that are portrayed as unspoilt wilderness comprise tall, homogenous stands of trees – monoculture plantations with low biodiversity. Often, tangled undergrowth consists of lantanas and other invasive plants that choke off competitors; trees are stunted and sparse. Meadows with inedible weeds sprouting around old tree stumps are either parched from the unbroken glare of the sun or leached by heavy rain; tree canopies that are supposed to protect the soil below have disappeared. Despite some success, India's conservation effort since the 1970s has been laced with disillusionment. Beyond the gaze of the public and media, which is focused only on the marquee national parks and tiger reserves, this is the state of many protected forests.