Ecosystems are resilient and robust by nature. They have ability to adapt to any natural changes. They are not vulnerable to climate change. Whenever balance is at stake, what we call a natural calamity occurs to restore it. Most of human actions are factors unknown to nature. Due to our own deeds, we have become vulnerable. Natural fires occur in the forest to restore the balance. Air quality is maintained in the atmosphere through the carbon cycle.
We have changed natural ecosystems to fulfill the human greed. We have ignored the natural system. Through the exploitation of natural resources, we created wealth. We used it to create further conflicts between man and man and between man and nature. Our ability to adapt to climate change is at stake. Instead of harmony, we have created conflicts and disorder.
Working for peace is a solution to poverty. This is not same as conflict resolution as the latter gives further ways to create conflicts. Poverty eradication is possible when needs can be fulfilled, which in turn is possible only when we have means and resources to do so. The only source of our means is environment.
Sustainable use of resources is the best policy for the conservation of nature. It is related with the people. They use resources for their prosperity. The source of our achievements is natural resources. But people are divided into haves and have-nots. Those who were lucky to get an early access to natural resources became rich. They used their richness to exploit others who were slow to harness these. This cleavage separates the rich from the poor. The rich created their own towns to be served by a large rural region. Through the functioning of the market that the rich has formed, they legalize their easy and cheap access to natural resources that the poor harness for their benefit.
In the process, the periphery developed the power because of growing disparity. They resisted the cheap supply of their labour and goods that they produce. This gave rise to conflicts. The social system that emerged failed to ensure the necessary cohesiveness. More and more people became excluded. This explains the root cause of conflicts anywhere in the world and in the present crisis that Nepal is facing. This also shows how conflicts are related with the use of natural resources.
As the rich found that the resources are depleting fast, they developed rules in such a way that their access to resources could be maximum. There are several examples to support this. The earlier restriction to tiger hunting in Nepal was guided by the fear that the rich might not have sufficient tigers to hunt in the future. CDM strategy is facing a serious pricing policy. How should natural resources be exchanged in lieu of money? What mechanisms are available to value resources? We have failed to get rid of market distortions despite an egalitarian policy on free trade. Conflict in the Gulf region was also related with the use of petroleum products. Conflict has emerged as we fail to deal with the public good. We indulge in private goods. The concept of a welfare state is never realized. We now talk of good governance. But the way we want to implement it is again the same. We teach others to practice it so that we still can rule with bad governance. The goal of good governance is to ensure access of the poor to resources and services created through the use of natural resources. Conservation is not possible in a conflict-ridden situation. Conflict has become a lame excuse to destroy nature.
The sustainable difference between the rich and the poor nations is explained by the state of environment. Financial difference is due to the use of resources. It has led to the power differential. Environment has paved the way for a dialogue between the rich and the poor nations. Poor nations are asked to save it. They are not able to divert resources to reduce global risks. Flow of resources will help to conserve it. But less money is available now for conservation, as lots of money is used to resolve conflicts. This has become truer after Sept. 11.
The problems of conservation in Nepal are also due to poverty. The poor depends on natural resources for their survival. Policies must widen people’s options for earning a livelihood. This is more relevant in fragile ecosystems. Skills and technology will help them to use resources wisely on a sustainable basis.
Equitable access to resources and sharing of the social costs of development makes development sustainable. For this, “Polluters Pay Principle” should be linked with the goal of conservation. The creation of communities at different levels is necessary to achieve it. It requires the involvement of more and more actors. The lack of coordination is a critical issue in pursuing the goals. We must improve it for conserving resources. It is much more important when we are for integrated development that is sustainable. Good governance creates channels of communication within system of actors and stakeholders. It can be used as a guiding force for integrated action for conservation. Partnership helps it. The Conservation Agenda should promote environmental governance at the local level. This will raise awareness on conservation. It is based on partnership that includes government bodies, private sector, academia, media, CBOs and indigenous people and families
Peace is a pre-requisite for development. The role of peace can hardly be undermined in conservation. In the context of emerging threats all over the world, Nepal has joined the world community to maintain peace and stability.
Nepal today faces the problems of poverty and land degradation. We are committed to reduce poverty. High population and rapid urbanization are other problems. Nepal has both prospects for and challenges to mountain development. Conservation strategies will not be effective amidst conflicts. It is a sad plight that we are using conflict as a tool to destroy resources for a short run gain to be able to rule others. In the name of conflict, we take liberty to destroy it. During elections, most of the forest resources get used. Conflict has become a lame excuse for us to terrorize the masses and to use resources rampantly. This has impaired the relation of man with nature. The rate of increase of insecurity in Kathmandu is alarming. Before managing the green belt of the present ring road, we are hastening to build the outer ring road. People are led to believe that Kathmandu is safer than the rest of the country. Resources are being appropriated for the richness of Kathmandu. The ecological footprint of a person in a rural area is much less compared to the same in the city. We are destroying natural resources by encouraging people to come here with false hope. The concept of ecological footprints has underpinned the need of rural areas for making cities more sustainable. When will urban governance be prepared to realize the environmental costs of urban ways of life?
And we magnify the conflict in remote areas. We get more foreign aid. We can do simpler works only there. We can transfer the budget allocated to these places to be spent in Kathmandu. We bring resources from there to Kathmandu. Conflict has widened the gap between the rural and the urban areas. The frontier group of the rural areas migrates to the city. Our development activities and our security both impair the environment. It impairs the harmony between the man and the nature. The prevailing nature-based culture and social fabric is exposed to erratic behavior of our security operation and post-conflict management style.
Siachen lakes are a classic example. It is the world’s largest mountain glacier, 70 km long, 5 – 10 km wide. It is shrinking fast. The number and size of blue lakes within the glacier are increasing. In the words of Supriya Bezbaruah, army activities are hurting Siachen’s fragile ecosystem. The armies dump more than 1,000 tonnes of garbage every day. “This implies that man has succeeded in doing what all of nature’s fiercest forces failed to do over a million years – dislodge the glacier’s snow and ice which nourish the sub-continent’s rivers.” (India Today, November 1, 2004)
The debris in the Sagarmatha areas has become a burden. The Himalayan region is facing problems of land degradation and adverse effects of climate change. It is highly vulnerable because the mountains are young and fragile with steep slopes. Of late, it is affected by glacier lake outbursts and monsoon floods.
A study done by ICIMOD has shown that Khimsung glacier near Lirung glacier has shrunk in past 17 years. Lirung surface lowers by four meters every year. Its lower part is detached from the upper part. The debris-covered part is just a mass of dead ice, which is degrading rapidly. Surface lowering and terminus retreat is fast. There is a pond in front of the glacier. The large debris covered glacier of Khumbu the surface lowering every year by about two meters. Majority of glaciers in Kanchenjunga are also retreating. The terminus of Rika Samba glacier is retreating by 10 m per year.
The consequences of glacier retreat are eventually formation of glacier lake and outburst flood of the lake. The study showed that there are 26 dangerous lakes including Tsho Rolpa (Rolwaling), Imja(Khumbu), Thuklaga (Manang) and Barun (Makalu).
People living in the lowlands face externalities created by the activities done in the highlands. This calls upon us concrete actions for the sustainable management of mountain ecosystem. Third, we should remain committed to implement global environmental agreements. We have to revert to sustainable ways. Our intervention should not make irreparable damage to the existing system. Nature and culture based heritage and social system have crumbled. These are the basis for creating social harmony and to deal with exclusiveness. To redress it we prepare some isolated programs at an exorbitant price. This way we will nourish conflicts instead of solving them.
We should understand the economic and political significance of conflict management. Conflicts survive as they generate more resources for the ruling class. Post-conflict management entails huge investments. There is lots of flexibility in their spending. People can make easy money. We are less responsible. They can be less accountable. One reason for perpetuating conflict is this. This does not serve a social purpose. Nor is it helpful for conservation.
Instead of creating fear, we should continue to work in conflict prone areas with dedication for creating cohesiveness. Conservation and development in a spatial context will help to restore peace dealing with conflicts and social injustice.
Poverty must be considered as a state in which some or none of the needs are satisfied and the right to define one’s own need should fall under Human Rights. For a sustainable future, we are looking for a new type of partnership. Environmental problems move from country to country. The developing nations sincerely believe that the present plight was the outcome of the wrongs committed by the developed nations in the past.
Let us therefore not talk about conflicts. Let us concentrate on peace. Conflicts breed conflicts. We have to live with it. Instead of creating fear, let us concentrate on conservation and creation. This will help to bring everyone closer. Peace depends on complete harmony. If we start to redress the mistakes, more mistakes will crop up. Let us reconcile to our present and work for conservation relentlessly. The process of conservation and peace will resolve conflicts. Conflict resolution may not lead to peace. Many interests arising due to management of conflicts will breed other conflicts. As we devote ourselves to conservation, we will be able to harness resources and as conservation requires working together, inclusive ness and a closer relationship between the rich and the poor, there is hope that we get together. Otherwise, those who are out from mainstream, and those who are not happy, will always defy the rules made by others. They have more power as those who rule are using the benefits of conflict management as a means to suppress others.