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Ashish Kothari is a founder-member of Kalpavriksh, a 30-year-old environmental research and action group. He has been a member of people's movements against destructive development projects including the Narmada dams. He co-ordinated the Technical and Policy Core Group to formulate India's National Bio-diversity Strategy and Action Plan. He has been a member of several government committees including the Expert Group on the Biodiversity Act, the committee to revise the National Wildlife Action Plan, the Environmental Appraisal Committee for River Valley Projects, etc. He co-chairs the IUCN inter-commission Strategic Direction on Governance, Equity, Livelihoods and Protected Areas (TILCEPA)and is currently chair of the board of Greenpeace India.. |
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One image on Indian TV news channels - of the tree-top huts of tribals in the Andaman and Nicobar islands - remains in one's memory. These Shompen tribals, who number only a few scores and are in imminent danger of extinction much before the tsunami hit them, were respectful of the wrath of nature in these low-lying islands. Their arboreal homes were testimony to their folk knowledge, which induced them to take these elementary precautions - in startling contrast to the armies of "developers", private and public, who flout environmental regulations with impunity. |
