Page 6 - 5th TERI-KAS Environmental Governance Policy Dialogue
P. 6
Policy Paper
of livelihoods, issues of rights of communities and of priceless components of ecosystems and create access
institutional arrangements that influence the environment rights for transactions. If we accept that our knowledge
discourse. Strategies for promoting economic growth have of ecosystems is very limited, there are going to be
been at the expense of the environment; under the pretext inevitable gaps in terms of ascertaining the intrinsic value
that achievement of economic growth will automatically of ecosystems in the light of irreversible change and valuing
lead to environmental protection – as has been put forth alternatives that are mutually exclusive.
by the hypothesis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Nevertheless, valuation and monetisation can help
This approach, though dominant for years, has seen social set minimum levels for consideration when creating
unrest, resistance and negotiations by groups who have had compensation packages for those who lose access to
to face the immediate consequences of poor environmental ecosystem services. The current problem is that there
conditions and loss or depletion of natural resources to the are only a limited number of alternatives considered when
cause of economic growth. comparing the valuation and more often than not, the social
The demands of a growing population and increasing benefits of alternatives are ignored along with the benefits
aspirations have led to economic concerns taking priority accrued from the interaction between society and ecology.
over ecological ones. Private players that have been Since private benefits are easier to calculate in monetary
responsible for most of the developmental activities have terms, it ends up taking precedence than the larger public
faltered in environmental stewardship largely because it benefit. The exercise runs the risk of being subjective based
has been a voluntary process. But the absence of benefit on who is conducting the exercise and the benefits accrued
sharing mechanisms for resource development has taken by different stakeholders. Furthermore, changing cultures
a toll on the environment. While the classical model of and practices within communities, may also change the
development has involved resource extraction, there value of ecosystems with time.
is now only a fine line that separates such extraction
from debilitating exploitation. The valuation of present Meaning and application of the concept of
actual and future perceived needs of an economy, injects ‘Sustainable Development’
resource cornering tendencies in the policy roll out and
into the overall governance structure. There is a larger Despite numerous definitions of ‘Sustainable Development’,
responsibility of the polity, the scientific community and there still are contentions with regard to the interpretations
the society as a stakeholder to come together and look at of its core ideas and the norms for sustainable development
ecologically valuable areas and create an agenda for their must take into consideration the complexity involved.
conservation and development. The process of developing norms for sustainable
At the same time, there is much more to be done to development requires a certain commonality of
reduce our collective ecological footprint and develop experience, or at least an agreement on how a particular
appropriate benefit sharing mechanisms so as to ensure experience is to be understood. While there has been a
that the gains from natural resource extraction from a need for greater conceptual clarity about the concept of
particular region actually reach the local community as the ‘sustainable development’ and its relevance for the Global
beneficiary. South, there is also a need to admit the existence of a
The ‘commons’ of the country are facing unprecedented plurality of positions long held by diverse and differentiated
degradation and community practices of common resources communities. Even as we recognize that we share a
management have weakened due to neglect of traditional common planet, the contention that we have a ‘common
knowledge in planning processes, uncontrolled grazing and future’ has been met with a degree of scepticism. These
a general decline of social capital which had an important have different implications for paths that communities
role in maintaining the health of the ´commons´. might chose to adopt in the future, especially with regard to
Valuation of ecosystem services has been seen as one objectives that have so far remained ambiguous and poorly
of the ways of getting investment for conservation and defined from their point of view.
a way of justifying diversion of resources on the basis of The idea of ‘sustainable development’ may have been,
alternatives considered for analysing the costs and benefits. in some part, a conceptual device for protecting the
While proving to be a popular tool in making policy older idea of development for the purpose of making it
decisions, valuation has also been considered as a double more complimentary to other agendas. There exists an
edged sword as it increases the tendency to monetize apprehension that ‘sustainable development’ is merely
another way of saying ‘development’ and represents an
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of livelihoods, issues of rights of communities and of priceless components of ecosystems and create access
institutional arrangements that influence the environment rights for transactions. If we accept that our knowledge
discourse. Strategies for promoting economic growth have of ecosystems is very limited, there are going to be
been at the expense of the environment; under the pretext inevitable gaps in terms of ascertaining the intrinsic value
that achievement of economic growth will automatically of ecosystems in the light of irreversible change and valuing
lead to environmental protection – as has been put forth alternatives that are mutually exclusive.
by the hypothesis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Nevertheless, valuation and monetisation can help
This approach, though dominant for years, has seen social set minimum levels for consideration when creating
unrest, resistance and negotiations by groups who have had compensation packages for those who lose access to
to face the immediate consequences of poor environmental ecosystem services. The current problem is that there
conditions and loss or depletion of natural resources to the are only a limited number of alternatives considered when
cause of economic growth. comparing the valuation and more often than not, the social
The demands of a growing population and increasing benefits of alternatives are ignored along with the benefits
aspirations have led to economic concerns taking priority accrued from the interaction between society and ecology.
over ecological ones. Private players that have been Since private benefits are easier to calculate in monetary
responsible for most of the developmental activities have terms, it ends up taking precedence than the larger public
faltered in environmental stewardship largely because it benefit. The exercise runs the risk of being subjective based
has been a voluntary process. But the absence of benefit on who is conducting the exercise and the benefits accrued
sharing mechanisms for resource development has taken by different stakeholders. Furthermore, changing cultures
a toll on the environment. While the classical model of and practices within communities, may also change the
development has involved resource extraction, there value of ecosystems with time.
is now only a fine line that separates such extraction
from debilitating exploitation. The valuation of present Meaning and application of the concept of
actual and future perceived needs of an economy, injects ‘Sustainable Development’
resource cornering tendencies in the policy roll out and
into the overall governance structure. There is a larger Despite numerous definitions of ‘Sustainable Development’,
responsibility of the polity, the scientific community and there still are contentions with regard to the interpretations
the society as a stakeholder to come together and look at of its core ideas and the norms for sustainable development
ecologically valuable areas and create an agenda for their must take into consideration the complexity involved.
conservation and development. The process of developing norms for sustainable
At the same time, there is much more to be done to development requires a certain commonality of
reduce our collective ecological footprint and develop experience, or at least an agreement on how a particular
appropriate benefit sharing mechanisms so as to ensure experience is to be understood. While there has been a
that the gains from natural resource extraction from a need for greater conceptual clarity about the concept of
particular region actually reach the local community as the ‘sustainable development’ and its relevance for the Global
beneficiary. South, there is also a need to admit the existence of a
The ‘commons’ of the country are facing unprecedented plurality of positions long held by diverse and differentiated
degradation and community practices of common resources communities. Even as we recognize that we share a
management have weakened due to neglect of traditional common planet, the contention that we have a ‘common
knowledge in planning processes, uncontrolled grazing and future’ has been met with a degree of scepticism. These
a general decline of social capital which had an important have different implications for paths that communities
role in maintaining the health of the ´commons´. might chose to adopt in the future, especially with regard to
Valuation of ecosystem services has been seen as one objectives that have so far remained ambiguous and poorly
of the ways of getting investment for conservation and defined from their point of view.
a way of justifying diversion of resources on the basis of The idea of ‘sustainable development’ may have been,
alternatives considered for analysing the costs and benefits. in some part, a conceptual device for protecting the
While proving to be a popular tool in making policy older idea of development for the purpose of making it
decisions, valuation has also been considered as a double more complimentary to other agendas. There exists an
edged sword as it increases the tendency to monetize apprehension that ‘sustainable development’ is merely
another way of saying ‘development’ and represents an
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