1.0 PREAMBLE

1.1 The survival and well-being of a nation depend on sustainable development. It is a process of social and economic betterment that satisfies the needs and values of all interest groups without foreclosing future options. To this end, we must ensure that the demand on the environment from which we derive our sustenance, does not exceed its carrying capacity for the present as well as future generations.

1.2 In the past, we had a great tradition of environmental conservation which taught us to respect nature and to take cognizance of the fact that all forms of life  - human, animal and plant  - are closely interlined and that disturbance in one gives rise to an imbalance in other\'s. Even in modem times, as is evident in our constitutional provisions and environmental legislation and planning objectives, conscious efforts have been made for maintaining environmental security along with developmental advances. The Indian Constitution has laid a new important trail in the Section on Directive Principles of State Policy by assigning the duties for the State and all citizens through article 48 A and article 51 A(g) which state that the \"State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife in the country\" and \"to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes and rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for the living creatures\".

1.3 Nevertheless, over the years, there has been progressive pressure on the environment and the natural resources, the alarming consequences of which are becoming evident in increasing proportions. These consequences detract from the gains of development and worsen the standard of living of the poor who are directly dependent on natural resources. It is in this context that we need to give a new thrust towards conservation and sustainable development.

1.4 The National Conservation Strategy and the Policy Statement on Environment and Development are in response to the need for laying down the guidelines that will help to weave environmental considerations into the fabric of our national life and of our development process. It is an expression of our commitment for reorienting policies and action in unison with the environmental perspective.

2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM: NATURE AND DIMENSIONS

2.1 Environmental problems in India can be classified into two broad categories:

a. those arising as negative effects of the very process of development; and

b. those arising from conditions of poverty and under-development.

The first category has to do with the impact of efforts to achieve rapid economic growth and development and continuing pressures of demand generated by those sections of society who are economically more advanced and impose great strains on the supply of natural resources. Poorly planned developmental projects are also often environmentally destructive. The second category has to do with the impact on the health and integrity of our natural  resources (land, soil, water, forests, wildlife, etc.) as a result of poverty and the inadequate availability, for a large section of our population, of the means to fulfill  basic human needs (food, fuel, shelter, employment, etc.). Needless to say, the two problems are interrelated.

2.2 Population is an important resource for development, yet it is a major source of environmental degradation when it exceeds the threshold limits of the support systems. Unless the relationship between the multiplying population and life support systems can be stabilized, development programmes, however, innovative, are not likely to yield the desired results. It is possible to expand the “carrying capacity\' through technological advances and spatial distribution. But neither of these can. support unlimited population growth. Although technological progress will add to the capabilities for sustaining a large number of population, the need for a vigorous drive for population control can hardly be over  emphasized in view of the linkage between poverty, population growth and the environment.

2.3 Even today, over 250 million children, women and men suffer from under-nutrition. The scenario for the coming years is alarming and we are likely to face food crisis unless we are in a position to increase crop and animal  productivity on a continuing basis, since the only option open to us for increasing production is productivity improvement Also, access to food will have to be ensured through opportunities for productive employment.

2.4 A growth in domesticated animal population has been accompanied by a loss of area under grasslands and pastures. Hardly, 3.5 per cent of our geographical area is under grasslands, while our domesticated animal population numbers nearly 500 million. The livelihood security of majority of our people depends on land and water based occupations such as crop and animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries.

2.5 Out of total area of India of about 329 million hectares, 175 million hectares of land require special treatment to restore such land to productive and profitable use. The degradation is caused by water and wind erosion (150 million ha), salinity and alkalinity (8 million ha) and river action and other factors (7 million ha).

2.6 Our forest wealth is dwindling due to over-grazing, over-exploitation both for commercial and house-hold needs, encroachments, unsustainable practices including certain practices of shifting cultivation and developmental activities such as roads, buildings, irrigation and power projects. The recorded forest cover in  the country is 75.01 million ha which works out to 19.5% of the total geographical area against the broad national goal of 33% for the plain areas and 66% for hilly regions. Even within this area, only 11 % constitute forests with 40% or more of crown cover. According to the State of Forest Report, 1991, the actual forest cover in the country was 64.07 million hectares during 1987-89. The loss of habitat is leading to the extinction of plant, animal and microbial species. According to the Botanical and Zoological Surveys of India, over 1500 plant and animal species are in the,endangered category. The biological impoverishment of the country is a serious threat to sustainable advances in biological productivity. Gene erosion also erodes the prospects for deriving full economic and ecological benefits from recent advances in molecular biology and genetic engineering.

2.7 Our unique wetlands, rich in aquatic and bird life, providing food and shelter as also the breeding and spawning ground for the marine and fresh water fishes, are facing problems of pollution and over-exploitation. The major rivers of the country are also facing problems of pollution and siltation. Our long coastline is under similar stress. Our coastal areas have been severely damaged due to indiscriminate construction near the water-line. Coastal vegetation including mangroves and sea grasses is getting denuded. Our mountain ecosystems are under threat of serious degradation. Extensive deforestation leading to the erosion of valuable topsoil  is threatening the livelihood security of millions of hill people. Equally serious is the downstream  effects of the damage done upstream. Indo-gangetic agriculture, often described as a potential bread basket in the world, is being damaged beyond repair as a result of soil degradation. Some areas are facing problems of  water-logging and rising water tables because of poorly planned and ill-executed irrigation. In other areas, the water table is receding because of over-exploitation of ground water. Furthermore, the quality of groundwater is being affected due to chemical pollution and in coastal areas, due to the ingress of sea water. The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides impose threat to human health, to the genetic stocks and reduces the natural soil fertility in the long run. The absence of an integrated land and water use policy for the country is taking a heavy toll on these basic natural assets.

2.8 Coral reefs are the most productive marine ecosystems and provide habitat for diverse flora and fauna. These ecosystems are adversely affected by indiscriminate exploitation of coral for production of lime, recreational use and for ornamental trade. Similarly, the fragile environs of island ecosystems have been subjected to pressures of various forms including migration of people from the mainland.

2.9 Global atmospheric changes resulting in altered temperature and precipitation and rising ocean levels, are no longer within the realm of mere theoretical possibilities. Combination of local subsidence, greenhouse induced sea-level rise and coastal environmental degradation may lead to periodic floods, incursion of salt water, melting of glaciers and river flooding. Local changes of average rainfall will severely affect agriculture and water supply, especially in semi-arid areas.