and forestry lands, with villages and settlements consisting of small farms and individual homes. Hunting within legal limits is permitted throughout the Biosphere Reserve as everywhere else in Sweden. Notably, the emphasis in the National Park is on promoting research through special grants to scientific research groups and careful recording of wildlife numbers. Interestingly enough, the Scandinavian countries differ from other European countries in retaining cultural traditions of nature conservation such as protection of Storks as sacred birds.
Turning people against environmental protection
With time it is becoming more and more evident that Forest Department and the Wildlife Protection Act are highly flawed instruments of environmental protection. Because of the way these operate farmers and farm labourers, rural artisans, and forest-dwellers equate environmental protection with coming under the stranglehold of Forest Department; and hence reject all conservation efforts. This was the clear lesson of the experience of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. As a part of the exercise, I held detailed discussions with residents of several villages in Savatwadi, Dodamarg talukas of Sindhudurg district, suggesting to them that under our democratic system gram panchayats were the basic unit of governance and they should prepare their own development — conservation plans, and if they wish ask for their areas to be designated ecologically sensitive localities. The response was heartening with 25 gram sabhas requesting that their
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