Truly Helping the Cause of Making Braj an Eco-Sensitive Area

Katie Jo Walter is our intrepid research scholar, whose association and assistance we are most fortunate to have. From Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, she is India on a 9-month Fulbright fellowship in communications. Her topic is "Between Religion and Economics: Establishing Ecological Development Discourse in Vrindavan," which is a most timely and related topic. This is Katie's second tour in India, the first time she helped establish a woman's collective called Vrindavan ka gaurav. She is associated in Vrindavan with the Sri Chaitanya Prema Sansthan.

---

Here I am, popping up on a borrowed computer to remind everyone: If something (petitioning for Braj as an Eco-Sensitive Area – or ESA) seems too good to be true (i.e. a clear, direct and relatively quick process), then it probably is!

The declaration of Braj as an Eco-sensitive area would be a great achievement. It would limit reckless development and require eco-conscious master planning. However, there are formidable hurdles to clear, namely:

1. The fact that Braj is a large (about 3800 sq. km.) and includes not only several large cities in their entirety but also spans three separate Indian states is a hindrance. Protection of such a large area containing urban centres has not been extended thus far, but this does not mean that Braj cannot be the first. It is encouraging that Mount Abu, including its town (which is a little less than half the size of Vrindavan) has recently been declared an ESA. (official notification on Mount Abu can be found here.

2. Again, the lack of a clearly delineated process for achieving the goal will serve as a frustration. The application process, grounds for advocating protection and even the official definition of an ESA are unclear. This led the Pune and Delhi based non-profit Kalpavriksh to create a report (here) detailing the history of ESA’s and how they have been acquired, including several specific case studies. According to the report’s introduction:

“…these (ESA) clauses have been used only by a few actors mainly because of the lack of knowledge about the scope of ESAs and also due to the MoEF’s ambiguity in notifying them.” and, “…due to incomplete informa¬tion, many proposals that were submitted to the MoEF are still pending or were subsequently rejected as they did not meet the MoEF’s criteria”.

Specific case studies by Kalpavriksh make two conditions for success clear:

1. A large, cohesive and vocal group supporting ESA status. This is where we can all help. The BVHA is doing a great job of getting the ball rolling, but the organization needs to be more transparent and inclusive of all members in terms of meeting attendance, opinion/logistics sharing and fundraising (the particulars of this are for another discussion). Bringing everyone together – in body, name and spirit – will lend not only the BVHA strength but also a great deal more credibility. Past successes involve numerous NGO’s and public/political figures united for the common cause of ESA status.
   
2. A well-informed, intelligent argument for the cause of protection. The religious significance of Braj is well-known and we need to go beyond this in our arguments (Please note: I am not saying that this aspect should be ignored; I am simply saying that it cannot be a stand alone argument). The Kalpavriksh report notes that success in the past has come from arguing along the lines of benchmarks made by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) itself. For example, the Kalpavriksh report cited the MoEF report from the 80’s entitled, “‘Parameters for Determining Ecological Fragility” as critical in supporting the case for Dahanu (near Mumbai). A quick search revealed a 2000 report revisiting the “‘Parameters for Determining Ecological Fragility.”

Anyone who is serious about helping the cause to make Braj an Eco-Sensitive Area should look at this MoEF report and start building arguments around that. Here is the link. One can also look at all ESA notifications by the MoEF to see what arguments made in the past can also work for Braj.

Granted, we are only beginning to embark upon this effort. However, I find it important for supporters to know exactly what we are getting into, what it entails, and how we can best help. I look forward to hearing the outcome of the BVHA delegation’s visit with Sri Jai Ram Ramesh so we can learn how best to proceed and make our every effort count as much as possible!

Vrindavan dham ki jai!

Katie