Susan  Welcome to IWC chat on 18 Jan 2008
Susan  The topic of discussion is " Ecological

security-who and How?"
mayank  Hi Susan
mayank  Good evening to you
Susan  Welcome Mayank
mayank  Its great to be here
Govind Singh  Hi@all!
Susan  Good to see you Govind
mayank  Hello MR.Govind Singh
Govind Singh  hello Mr. mayank :)
Susan  Tell us in a nutshell what is meant by ecological security, Mayank
mayank  Susan, ecological security is a very wide subject
mayank  and here the debate about ecological security largely circulates on how we can make it sustainable
mayank  however if we try to limit the term ecological security to a bare minimum it will imply restoration of ecological processes , in a sustainable manner
Susan  What are the projects you are involved in?
mayank  Susan, presently I am coordinating a technical study on the nutrient cycling in our Rajasthan project areas
Govind Singh  desert ecology is a very interesting field...plz elaborate on this study
Susan  Sounds a bit complicated-can you explain a little further
mayank  Yeah this is a bit complicated
mayank  it broadly deals with the assessment of the interlandscape transfer of nutrients
mayank  primarily from the forests to the fields
Govind Singh  What is the exact project area plz?
Susan  What are the means by which this transfer takes place?
Susan  welcome Karthik
karthik nair  susan how r u .I joined iwc few months ago
Govind Singh  Hi Karthik!
mayank  well, environmental dynamics is based on two principles
karthik nair  hai govind m fine.
mayank  nutrient cycling and energy transfer
Susan  Go ahead Mayank
karthik nair  mayank im karthik .a new iwc member.hope ur fine
mayank  nutrients travel in a cyclical fashion, while energy moves in a unidirectional way
mayank  hi karthik, nice to meet you
mayank  nutrients while they are transferred moves betweeen landscapes mediated by environmental tools
mayank such as water and wind
mayank  this creates interlinkages and thus also has a great limiting effect on the productivity and thereby the sustainability patterns of various landscapes , or it can be said ecosystems
karthik nair  i m actually a keralite but residing in bihar.
mayank  the addition of human factor adds to this complexity
mayank  and thus the question of ecological security comes in
mayank  its very amazing, that the environment when left on its own , recuperates itself so beautifully, and restores the ecological balance by itself
Susan  Go ahead Mayank
mayank  but any unsolicited interference in it disturbs it susbtantially beyond the scope of recuperation, and hence then it requires intervention
karthik nair  guy's i just can't believe what came in the news paper ...a worm that makes ants look like berries
Susan  What are the symptoms of a disturbed ecological balance?
mayank  as you all may find it implicit , ecological security, in the present context stands corollary with the social and economic security
Govind Singh  So..what are these interferences that have happened..that now solicit our interference/
mayank  symptoms of disturbed ecological balance are very explicit,
karthik nair  dramatic increase in a population of some species
mayank  species extermination, destruction of food chain, destruction of micro climate

mayank  which become magnified in the form of the climate change
Susan  Oh that is very revealing.
mayank  govind, interference here implies unjudicious exploitation, impractical managament
mayank  changing priorities
karthik nair  sudden extinction of of some species
mayank  and to susbtantiate you, you may go to the southern pocket of Delhi Ridge forest which bears the ornamental plants
mayank  and looks more like a park rather than a reserve forest which it ought to be as per the government records
Govind Singh  If the delhi govt's planning...goes its way...soon...everyone will be going to the south delhi ridge....
Govind Singh  they plan to make lot of malls there!
mayank  Since i am working in this field, i can go on and on  on this topic

karthik nair  i am not getting any replies
mayank  however to have a fruitful discussion, lets have some views from you all , about ecological security
mayank  exactly govind
mayank  karthik, i am not that fast in typing
karthik nair  gotta go now
Susan  Tell us more about the Rajasthan project
Govind Singh  hm..some problem...apparently auto-refresh is not working :(
mayank  karthik, biologically speaking, sudden extinction of species is not due to ecological disturbance but sudden changes
mayank  Susan , the rajasthan project deals mainly with the recognition of the linkages between the forest and the agriculture ecosystems
Govind Singh  Hm..ecological security word is different from environmental securtiy....but the fact that both are inter-related is what we have to remember. Can u plz comment on that
mayank  govind both are interrelated and may be said as corollary
mayank  the difference is only what is between ecology and environment
Govind Singh  But then...when it comes to application....is working towards ecological securtiy more important...or on environmental ?
mayank  when in implementation,  it is required that we start from an ecological perspective and then move on to a broader environmental aspect
Govind Singh  And..well..this is a huge topic in itself...but when it comes to the tribal rights bill.....what are the whos and hows of ecological securty amidst env security?
mayank  well that's a question with wide ranging repercussions, but having the fundamental priorities  modified

mayank  to speak on this term , it will remain the same for any other community as well
mayank  any community should be motivated for self realisation, about their responsibility towards maintaining their sustenance and maintaining it
Susan  What are the applications of your study on Rajasthan's ecology processes
mayank  only then any interventions in this regard would hold a considerable degree of sustainability

Govind Singh  Hm..thats true. So where again...did u say is the your project area in Rajasthan?
mayank  Susan , we are coordinating the rajasthan study which is being conducted by a scientific institution at Anand itself
mayank  We shall be using the results of the study for extending our interventions and including the society and the commons as well
mayank  to integrate the four components of forest, farm, livestock and water
mayank  Govind our study in Rajasthan is being carried out in the Udaipur and Bhilwara districts
mayank  Bhilwara project area reflects the farm-water-community interlinkages
mayank  while the Udaipur area includes the forest component also
Govind Singh  Ok.thats good to know

mayank  Govind what are your ideas about this topic
mayank  If I ask you as a layman then what will be your reply to the How part of the question
mayank  Susan, Your views are also welcome
Susan  study of ecological security looks at ecosystems in a 'holistic'manner'
mayank  very true Susan,
mayank  may I also include the word Integrated therein
Govind Singh  how...is when we decentralize our 'systems' and work with the communities (both animal, plant and human) rather than working on them!
mayank  Govind, I fully agree with you, and that is the basic philosophy, and the dilemma is everybody knows about it but no one wants to implement it
Susan  The food chain or nutrient cycling has to be understood for each landscape before interventions are made
Govind Singh  Precisely, since implementing it would require...'will power' and the realization..that the remote rural farmer knows more about ecosystems than we think..and that s/he should be consulted as well!

None of what is required exists in the present day though :(
mayank  Indeed
mayank  I have seen in the field how motivated and effective community based conservation is

Susan  Interventions like use of pesticides, fertilizers
Govind Singh  Im sorry i am bad with geog....is your work area anywhere close to sariska?
mayank  our community oriented ineterventions in some of the areas , especially the Pratapgarh area has increased the water availability to about 10 months from the earlier 4 months
mayank  No susan , I believe when there is a holistic understanding, artificial supplements are not at all required
Susan  Tarun Bharat Singh has been active in Bhilwara too
mayank  Govind our work area is located near Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary
Govind Singh  Oh...I think I have heard of that!
mayank  Yes susan, but really never had a chance to meet him
mayank  Susan, Govind, I really feel that a common view which has developed in this chat room, should and must be developed in a bigger perspective
Susan  What are the community oriented interventions you have made in your area
mayank  we have strengthened the village based institutions
mayank  and developed where there were none
Govind Singh  Thats nice to hear..hope this e-governance thing catches on soon
mayank  at the hamlet, village and the district level
mayank  community is motivated to frame its own byelaws and they even practise those laws faithfully
mayank  they punish the defaulters
Govind Singh  Nice..reminds me of the case of Jogi nath saperas...who are now snake protectors!
mayank  well it wont be wrong that we just facilitate the community directed implementaion of our interventions
mayank  well that will only be the key for the lasting effect
Govind Singh  Hm..so your work seems more like participatory research?
mayank  Exactly Govind
Govind Singh  ..which does great wonders...if carried out properly!
mayank  well i would say facilitated implementation of the scientific principles through proactive community participation
mayank  Very true Govind
Govind Singh  Is there a link or website where we can read more about your work?
Govind Singh  ..it sounds interesting!
mayank  yes, you may check it out at www.fes.org.in
Susan  mayank, you have shared a lot with us - and wish you all the best with your projects. It will be nice if yu can share your project successes (like Pratapgarh) with us on a regular basis
mayank  and my official email is mayank@fes.org.in
mayank  please feel free to contact me and share views and opinions
mayank  this requires a mutual effort and that will enrich it
Susan  It is more than an hour shall we call it a day?
mayank  yes sure I can do that
Govind Singh  thanks..would do that
mayank  I am glad the rules were made little flexible for me
Govind Singh  And it indeed has been more than n hour!!!
mayank  It was a very enriching session and hope you also feel the same
mayank  Well, its good to know that I can talk
Govind Singh  yup..surely!
mayank  :)
Susan  Thank you Mayank, Govind and Karthik
mayank  Hope to catch you all soon
Govind Singh  Thank you ma'm...for puttin us all together! :)
mayank  Thanks you Susan, Karthik and Govind
Govind Singh  and thank u Mr. mayank for the nice discussion
mayank  Well, to end it let us propose a virtual toast for our environment
Susan  Thanks and bye.