Protected areas are shrinking due to increasing development pressure, warns conservationist Ranjitsinh
Former Chief Secretary SM Vijayanand and former Indian Forest Service officer Prakriti Srivastava view a photo exhibition on the opening day of the Wildlife Week celebrations organized by the Coexistence Collective, Kerala and the State Central Library in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
Eminent conservationist MK Ranjitsinh Jhala has warned that India’s protected areas are shrinking even as pressure from development, mining and tourism continues to grow.
Dr. Delivering the Wildlife Week message at the National Wildlife Week celebrations organized by the Coexistence Society in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Ranjitsinh said conservation should not only focus on iconic animals like tigers, elephants and leopards, but also on preserving their habitats and the ecological systems that sustain people. “Wildlife means all living things that occur freely in nature,” said Dr. Ranjitsinh, chief architect of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
He said Keralam is particularly fortunate to be located in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats, and emphasized that its remaining evergreen forests represent a natural national heritage that cannot be recreated once destroyed.
He added that forest conservation is important in a densely populated state like Keralam with high rainfall as forests and their watersheds maintain permanent flows and provide wider ecological and economic security.
Citing his experience at the Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand, he said protection from fire, grazing and illegal logging has resulted in seasonal streams flowing for progressively longer periods, with some eventually becoming perennial.
The former bureaucrat also expressed concern over the restriction and de-notification of protected areas across the country. He questioned the rationale for reducing protected areas to accommodate mining and construction.
“You have to save your forests. If you are not ready to dig under the Ram Mandir temple or under the Ajanta and Ellora caves or under the Taj Mahal, why should you disturb, destroy and mine under the Kaziranga, Kanha and Periyar National Parks,” he asked.
Dr. Ranjitsinh also warned that tourism could contribute to increasing human-wildlife conflicts when allowed to take precedence over conservation.
Inaugurating the program, Rajesh Ravindran, Head of Forest Force, called for a deeper understanding of wildlife and emphasized that human survival is inextricably linked to coexistence with nature.
He also highlighted several challenges facing the world, including erratic weather patterns, rugged mountains, polluted rivers and suffocating air. The growing pressure of anthropogenic activities and the pursuit of material wealth have often come at the expense of other life forms, a senior official warned.
Delivering the keynote address, former Chief Secretary SM Vijayanand called for a people-centric approach to environmental protection. The former bureaucrat added that sustainable development can be achieved through constructive dialogue with local communities and the integration of livelihood issues into environmental protection.
He also held the view that environmental protection should not be presented as the opposite of development. Instead, conservation measures should be designed in a way that enhances sustainable livelihoods and local economies.
Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Prakrithi Srivastava, State Librarian PK Shobana, environmental activists N. Badusha, Veena Maruthoor and KM Sulaiman also spoke on the occasion.
Published – 05 Oct 2026 21:09 IST