Is Bangalore on the verge of a peril? Experts share their views

Is the conservation of urban wild animals directly connected to the sustainability of a fast-growing city like Bangalore? 

Old Bangaloreans are constantly reminiscing about how the city was a couple of decades ago. The green aura of our city, for which it is famous for, is fast diminishing. The ‘Garden City of India’ has lost one-fourth of its green cover and one-third of its lakes in recent decades. With the current trend of depleting groundwater, our city as we know will soon turn out to be a mirage from the past. Any growing city’s ecological sustainability is deeply connected to the state of its urban wildlife population. Natural green cover proliferation, vector and disease control, the impact on soil - all have connections to urban wildlife, much like in a wholly natural ecosystem. 

We have been conducting awareness events across the city to sensitise Bangaloreans on Environmental Conservation and Urban Wildlife Protection. There has been a dramatic change in the ecology and climate patterns of the city in recent years. In the light of this turbulent phase in Bengaluru’s environmental landscape, we organized an event ‘Living with the Wild’ on September 28, 2018, at the Bangalore International Centre in Domlur, that marked the coming together of prominent people from all walks of life. 

Ms Maneka Gandhi presided this event that discussed the adversities faced by the city’s environment and wildlife and how to tackle this problem to protect the city’s wildlife heritage and future. The event also had a panel discussion with a distinguished panel comprising of Ms Harini Nagendra, an author and Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University, Mr M V Rajeev Gowda, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of Centre for Public Policy, IIM-B, Mr Sanjai Mohan IFS, PCCF, Karnataka Forest Department (Wildlife), Mr Leo F Saldhana, Lawyer and Environmentalist, and Dr N A Aravind Madhyastha, associate Professor at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. 

The panel had a very interesting discussion that spanned across a variety of issues that directly correlate to the ecology and wildlife of the city.

The panel discussion brought in very interesting points and Prof Harini Nagendra was one among the esteemed panellists. If you have read her book ‘Nature in the City, she will take you for a fascinating ride through the alluring beauty of older Bangalore before rampant urbanisation plagued the city. The book charts Bengaluru’s journey from the early settlements in the 6th century CE to the 21st-century city. The fascinating narrative threads stories of people and places while emphasising on the role and state of nature in the city.

Ms Harini commenced the discussion by expressing her concern over the depletion of forest cover and the lack of biodiversity in the city. She recounted the tradition of planting fruit trees like Jackfruit, Mango, Tamarind, Jamun and so on, in the country and how times have changed. These days, according to her, people prefer to have variegated species than fruiting species. That ornamental way of looking at nature, to have fruits and flowers that look prettier than to have diverse species that would sustain the ecosystem, has resulted in a loss of connection with nature. 

She also emphasised on the need for more research on animal-plant interactions and animal-animal interactions in the cities of India. She commented that education along with research where the students, volunteers and community come in, can take this conservation programme to the next level. She concluded with asserting the values that nature bestows upon us, not just the economic values but also the intangible ones like spiritual, mental, etc.

This series will feature salient points quoted by the esteemed panel on conservation and protection of biodiversity in Bangalore. Follow this space to learn more.