Ghazala Shahabuddin - Session 01, 2022-11-22

"Ghazala Shahabuddin reflects on challenges persisting in conservation in India, including bureaucratic hurdles in obtaining permissions and enforcing laws, prompting a call for an inclusive approach that considers social and cultural factors.

She emphasises the importance of integrating social sciences into conservation, advocating for community-based initiatives and holistic studies that examine the relationship between forests and people. Despite successes in saving species and establishing Protected Areas in India, she cites habitat destruction and biodiversity loss as pressing concerns that remain.

While India has made strides in protecting endangered species like tigers and elephants, she alludes to failures in leveraging public support and addressing habitat destruction. Further, she is critical of the limited role of science in wildlife conservation strategies, giving the example of recent cheetah reintroduction efforts, citing a lack of holistic planning.

Shahabuddin stresses the involvement of local communities in decision-making and management of Protected Areas. While concerns linger over restoration efforts and relaxing laws for infrastructure development, she hopes for public involvement and suitable political leadership to ensure a sustainable future. (00:00:00) Introduction

(00:00:30) Personal experiences and reflections: Protected Areas, multidisciplinary thinking about wildlife conservation and social and cultural factors

(00:07:37) Community-based conservation, importance of single site studies and a holistic view of conservation

(00:11:15) Getting science into policy-making on conservation

(00:13:34) Integrating social sciences into conservation efforts

(00:19:04) Divide between social scientists and biologists

(00:22:16) Conservation successes: saving species from extinction, land under nature and conservation, environmental governance and saving flagship species

(00:27:54) Conservation failures: lack of popular support, Forest Department operations and governance issues

(00:30:52) Failures in wildlife conservation, including lack of research on sustainable use and implementation of science

(00:36:08) Conservation science and management in India, need to focus outside protected areas as well and importance of local engagement

(00:43:59) Push for restoration

(00:46:34) Worries for the future of conservation in India, including relaxation of environmental laws, infrastructure development and air pollution

(00:56:14) Hope for the future of conservation in India, including younger leaders, cultural links to wildlife, small town naturalists and civil society participation

(01:01:31) Winding up the session"