Krithi Karanth – Can India simultaneously promote development and protect the environment?

This interview with Dr. Krithi Karnth is partoftheAsia programsWomen You should Know in India Project, produced and edited by Senior FellowManjari Chaterjee Millerand Research AssociateZoe Jordon. It features influential women from India’s political, economic and social fields whose work impacts the U.S.-India bilateral relations and India’s relationship with the rest of the world.

This blog was originally posted by Asia Unbound.

Krithi Karanth, Chief Conservation Scientist and Executive director of the Centre for Wildlife StudiesThe Centre for Wildlife Studies is based in Bengaluru, India. The Centre for Wildlife Studies has over fifty universities, think tank, nonprofits, government organizations, and many of them are U.S.-based.

Dr. Karanth, who in the course her research has had amazing encounters in the wild, including a Tiger while on foot, believes that fieldwork and visiting wild spaces is crucial to changing the narrative on conservation.

What are the most common misconceptions Americans have about India’s ecology conservation and wildlife?

India is third of the US in geographical area, but has three times the population. This creates significant challenges. It is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. India has been home to some of most important and iconic populations of rhinos, elephants and tigers in the world for the past 200 years, despite rapid changes in land use. India has done an amazing job in preventing wildlife from disappearing, compared to Europe, the United States and China. Many of the losses that people experience when living with wildlife are accepted by Indian culture, which has allowed wildlife to survive among a billion people.

India lost many of its species in the 1950s, a few years after it became independent from Great Britain. Many believed that the entire country would be lost to wildlife. However, wildlife was saved by a concerted effort in 1980s and 1970s. Many species that were thought to be endangered, like rhinos and tigers, have now rebounded. India today is at a crossroads when it comes to conservation. We have succeeded in some places in restoring and recovering wildlife. But it is not all. BeingIt is becoming more difficult to do this work. Because the government is not the one who takes the initiative to conserve wildlife and environmental issues, think tanks, non-profits and academic institutions are often left in the dust. As a result, wildlife has been losing their habitats and mobility due to massive developmental pressures.

What are the most important factors in conservation science that you believe will have a significant impact on India’s relationship with the United States and the world over the next 3-5 years.

Conservation is not a priority in the bilateral government agenda. However, there are many exchanges of information, of scientific methods and conservation projects that are all driven in part by think tanks, smaller governmental organizations and academics in both of these countries. This is not a new phenomenon. This is not a new phenomenon. The 1960s U.S. environment movement had a profound impact worldwide, including in India where it created a parallel environmental movement that was supported by amazing Indians.

These deep connections continue today. I am the Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India (CWS), a non-profit organization of 37 years. For thirty years, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has supported us in research into different aspects of conservation, including rhinos and tigers.

Rapid urbanization, economic growth and integration with the international economy are all factors that contribute to the changing aspirations for millions of young Indians (more than half of whom are). Below 35Today) will drive changes that pose serious threats to India’s wildlife, particularly wild areas. The expansion and construction of huge highways and other energy infrastructures has created a need for transport and energy infrastructure. This has made it more difficult for wildlife to move and has caused a significant decline in biodiversity habitats. Both countries have had many successes and failed in wildlife conservation. These can be shared. The level of cooperation in wildlife conservation has remained stable at lower levels, regardless of who has been in power in India and the United States. That’s amazing, right? It’s completely unpolitical, and that is how wildlife issues should be seen.

Can you speak on the status of women working in the field that you are involved in?

Conservation and wildlife ecology used to be dominated by men until recently. Over the past 20 years, there has been a boom in women doing field work in conservation and storytelling that focuses on India’s wildlife and wild spaces. Since 2010, I have had the privilege of mentoring and working with more than 300 young scientists. 700 citizen science volunteers were involved in my research and conservation projects.

However, women scientists and conservationists worldwide, and especially in India, need to overcome many hurdles to be taken seriously. There are significant barriers to professional recognition and financial support. Women are also not given enough encouragement from the government and private sectors to get into the field. We work in remote locations and are not there to make a living, but because we love doing something for nature. In patriarchal countries like India, social acceptance for this kind of work is slower.

What motivated you to follow your career path? How does your personal history influence your work?

I was an only child growing up in India. I was often left to my own devices and had a lot of freedom. My parents, both scientists and my grandfather, inspired me with their passion for wildlife and their dedication to pathology. My dad and I spent the first 17 years together watching animals and visiting wildlife sites.

Even so, I never intended to become a wildlife conservationist, scientist, educator, or storyteller. Wildlife conservation is a volatile and demanding profession that requires adaptability and resilience. My years of study in the United States gave me the time and space I needed to enter this field. When I began my career, I spent months and even years away from home in remote villages or forests. I would spend 12-14 hours a day in the field collecting data and running conservation programs. My greatest joy today is working with animals and people who work with them, so I can make a difference in conservation.

Look at the stateof wildlife conservation, environmental protection and nonprofit work. What concerns you most or gives you hope?

I am a pragmatic optimist. There are many people who care more about the environment and wildlife these days than ever before. Public support can be a powerful catalyst for positive change.

I am also concerned that our concept of wildlife is based solely on National Geographic’s amazing documentaries, without any understanding of the real dangers and costs that wildlife can pose to people who live with it. I fear that India’s amazing wildlife may disappear on a scale never seen before in my lifetime.

There is a wide gap between urban and rural Indians. People living near wildlife parks or forests will have to pay the price of coexistence with wildlife. The local residents are the ones who pay the price for development that invades wild areas. This can lead to wildlife entering their homes, ruining crops, and even killing livestock. The devastating effects this can have on a family is something that most people living in urban areas don’t realize.

These solutions are not being considered scientifically due to a rapid growth mindset. Millions of Indians will be able to move from poverty to middle class and upwards. Aspirations rise, so do demands, which has serious consequences for wildlife habitat and movement.

We need to be able design and implement solutions to environmental degradation and wildlife loss. CWS’s focus is on this issue, which my colleagues and I are focusing on. Our conservation programs work in partnership with communities that live within the Western Ghats’ sixty nine wildlife reserves. These communities create solutions and create opportunities to support their needs and ensure the survival of wildlife. I hope that, in our justifiable desire to improve human lives and to provide people with better economic and social opportunities, we don’t forget that there is still a wild India.