Project Tiger

Two news articles in the past week would certainly have gladdened the hearts of all environmentalists and those concerned about the state of India's environment.

The first was about resurrection of one of India's finest bird parks, the Keoladeo Ghana (or Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, as it is commonly known), with water from Govardhan drain being finally released into the sanctuary. This has brought new life to a dying sanctuary and the officials expect that migratory birds will soon flock to the park.

The second referred to a nine-fold increase in outlay  for conservation of tigers, to Rs 5889 crores (Rs 58,890 million), in the 12th 5-Year Plan (2012-2017). The reasoning of the Planning Commission is, tigers being flagship species, any improvement in the environment for tigers would lead to an overall improvement for all the species.

This is clear as daylight for environmentalists. 

But for a lay person, such a large allocation is difficult to understand. How is it possible to improve the environment by spending such huge sums on one animal?

There is a scientific base to this: In simple terms, an ecosystem is a group of organisms that are interdependent, that is, dependent on each other. Each of them also depends on the environment. Hence, the environment must be capable of supporting the ecosystem. Also, the numbers of the organisms must not diminish or increase beyond a certain limit. 

Why this must not happen can be explained by using the example of the simplest food chain.

Plant leaves are eaten by insects. Insects, in turn, are eaten by frogs, who are eaten by snakes. Finally, hawks eat snakes. For instance: If the number of plants decreases, the number of insects will also decrease, as there are no plants to eat. Thus frogs, too, will perish, and so will snakes and hawks. If the number of frogs decreases, the insect population will increase manifold, and the snakes and hawks will die.

This will not happen provided the environment remains balanced. To let an environment stay balanced, pollution should be brought under control. Over a period of time, an ecosystem can recover from damages. 

The tiger being the apex predator (at the top of the food chain), is affected the most when there is an imbalance in the environment. Hence, by protecting the tiger, we are indirectly bringing the environment back into equilibrium.

Some environmentalists are of the opinion that the the number of sparrows in a particular area are an indication whether or not the ecosystem in that area is degraded. According to them, these birds can indicate when an area has been polluted and is unsafe for humans. Sparrows are very sensitive to electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone towers and other sources of air and water pollution. So, if you see sparrows around you in plenty, it could be an indication that the area you live in is not polluted much, as compared to the places where the birds are not seen at all.

Perhaps sparrows are a yardstick to limit the pollution. 
May be, we should be doing more to reduce pollution.