Conserve Biodiversity
To Maintain Natural Harmony

By Uttam Maharjan

NEPAL is a small country, occupying a meagre 0.1 per cent of the total land of the world. But it is very rich in biodiversity. The country boasts more than 2 per cent of the world’s phanerogam species, 8.5 per cent of the bird species and 4.3 per cent of the mammal species.

Scientists estimate that there could be millions of species of plants and animals, out of which 1.4 million species have been identified. In South Asia, alone, 150,000 species have been identified. Nepal has to its credit 200 species of animals, 850 species of birds, 170 species of fish, more than 700 species of herbs and more than 7,400 species of plants and cereals.

Climatically, the world is divided into 5 zones: tropical, north and south temperate and north and south frigid. Nepal falls in the subtropical zone but its climate is varied, ranging from a tropical-like climate in the Tarai to a frigid-like one in the mountains. Also, the land surface of the country ranges from 100 meters to 8,848 meters from the sea level.

Therefore, Nepal has a varied climate ranging over the Tarai, hilly and mountainous regions. That is why, many species not found elsewhere are found in Nepal. The country is thus a repository of a variety of plants and animals that contribute to enriching biodiversity.

The earth is only the known ecosphere in the universe. Although extraterrestrials are suspected to be living in other parts of the universe, their exact locations have not been known yet.

The world consists of 70 per cent water bodies and 30 per cent land. Grasslands cover 25 per cent of the land, whereas deserts cover 1.4 per cent. Living beings are there in every part of the world. Even deserts serve as a habitat for xerophilous plants and animals.

Biodiversity is the existence of different kinds of plants and animals in mutual harmony that would sustain and give continuity to ecosystems. It is an overriding concern of the conservationists from all over the world to protect and sustain biodiversity. It has been realised that all living beings, including Homo sapiens, are members of an ecosystem. Any disturbance suffered by one or more members may have a domino effect on all the other members. So the conservation of biodiversity has been growing in importance all along.

However, in recent times natural and human factors are posing a serious threat to biodiversity. Deforestation, conflagrations, encroachment upon forest for settlement, floods, landslides, environmental pollution and so on are held responsible for the destruction of biodiversity

In this context, it would be pertinent to mention herein that a conference on biodiversity was held in 1992 under the auspices of the UNO. The conference focused on the distribution of benefits of biodiversity on the basis of justice and equality, besides recognising the contributions of the various nations and people to the conservation of biodiversity.

Infact, biodiversity is a gift of nature conserved and perpetuated by the activities of various communities. The Biodiversity Convention provides the nations with sovereign rights to biological resources. The concerned nations have rights to formulate laws and policies regarding collection, protection, transportation and commercialisation of biodiversity sources.

Of the millions of plants and animals in the world some species have long been extinct and others are at the threshold of extinction. Such species being threatened with extinction are called endangered species. To protect the endangered species, a special convention called CITIES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species) is in place. Nepal is a signatory to this convention
but necessary laws are yet to be formulated for the implementation of the convention.

However, Nepal has put emphasis on the collection and exchange of information about poaching and other illegal activities by forming a monitoring commission as a gesture towards complying with the provisions enshrined in the CITIES.

Nepal is also wary of the need for conserving biodiversity. The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation is active in the preservation of forest and creation of a conducive environment for the conservation of biodiversity.

The King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) formed by the government through a special legislative act as a non-profit organisation is involved in the preservation of wildlife, thus contributing to biodiversity conservation.

The National Agricultural Diversity Conservation Committee-which was formed in 2056 BS-aims at reaping benefit in the agricultural sector from the use of biodiversity sources. The committee also takes various measures to conserve biodiversity.

Nepal has undertaken several endeavours at protecting plant and animal species. The protected areas set up for this purpose cover 18 per cent of the land. The country now can boasts of eight national parks, four wildlife reserves, three conservation areas, one hunting reserve and five buffer zones around the national parks.

Conservation of forest is a must for protecting and sustaining biodiversity. In Nepal, forests is being encroached upon day by day. It is estimated that at present only 29 per cent of the land is covered by forest. Poaching, smuggling of valuable animal organs and herbs, clearing of forest for settlements, over-grazing and such other human activities are a setback for forest conservation.

Public awareness is necessary for stopping illegal trade in plants and animals. Such trade is flourishing due to Nepal’s open border with India. So it is imperative that the places where such illegal trade in plants and animals takes place, be kept under constant vigil. For this, cooperation and understanding between the two countries should be promoted.

Needless to say, the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources would lead to socio-economic development even at the local level. The well-knit arrangements for national parks and sanctuaries may promote eco-tourism. What is more, the present generation should take upon itself the task of preserving biodiversity handed down from generation to generation in order to maintain natural harmony and for the benefit of all the living beings and the future generations as well. After all, the world’s plants and animals must be preserved for posterity.

SAARC - Lessons To Be Learnt

By Nishchal Nath Pandey

THE developments taking place in Nepal’s neighborhood must be closely studied, assessed and judged for possible upshots and repercussions. Such is the domain of international relations and the trickiness of the conduct of foreign policy especially in our part of the world, that relations between two large countries of the region have an impact on the future of the whole of the region.

Fortunately, the forthcoming Summit between the Indian Prime Minister and the President/CEO/Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan is being watched with much optimism not only throughout South Asia but also throughout the world. Most definitely, one of the areas that will be receiving encouraging outcome by virtue of this ‘Agra Meet’ will be the stalled process of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

In fact, the regional organization, established in 1985 through the collective wisdom of the leaders of all 7 countries of the region, provides a platform for the peoples of South Asia to work together in a spirit of companionship, trust and understanding. It aims to accelerate the process of economic and social development and to advance and make stronger combined self-reliance among the countries of South Asia.

Since today’s economic canvas is wide-ranging, the organization decided to promote the welfare of the peoples’ of South Asia and to improve their quality of life through the implementation of SAPTA and SAFTA. Studies have revealed that in 1825 Asia comprised of 60 per cent of gross world product. By the 1950s however, it had declined to a mere 20 per cent. Providentially, it has again been calculated that by the year 2020, this figure will go back to 60 per cent. The seven member states were convinced of the need to establish and promote regional preferential trading arrangement for strengthening intra-regional economic cooperation and the development of national economies bearing in mind the urgent need to promote the intra-regional trade which presently constitutes a negligible share in the total volume of the South Asian trade as a whole. The momentum of global economy and the spectacular advance that other regions have made in the recent years have prompted our leaders to focus on specific economic areas evident by the SAARC ministerial meetings on Commerce, Economy, Tourism, and Agriculture while at the same time, not overlooking crucial other areas of social upliftment like Women, Environment, Youth, Children and Poverty Alleviation. These meets were landmarks in our journey towards achieving and establishing a regional identity of our own.

Regrettably, last few years have been the most remorseful in this long stride towards accomplishing a common goal and realizing our shared destiny. The 11th SAARC Summit which was supposed to take place in Kathmandu in 1999 was postponed.

One is prompted to argue that the very procedural arrangement adopted by our organization has been faulty if one is to observe and compare with other similar regional organizations. The Summit is the most powerful and almost every principal issue has to be taken up at this level. In consideration to the preoccupied itineraries of the Head of States and governments of the seven countries, it is going to be increasingly arduous to fetch a mutually conducive date for the Summit in the coming years not to mention the chunks of pending decisions that have to be decided in just over two days of the Summit. It would be desirable to devise a lower level body that can take crucial decisions without wasting time.

The first meeting of the Inter-governmental expert group on SAARC Social Charter was held in Colombo on 22-23 this April. The third sub-regional forum on Intellectual Property Cooperation among SAARC countries met in Dhaka on 21-22 March. This Sub-regional Forum was intended to bring together senior officials responsible for intellectual property rights policies and administration in the SAARC countries, as well as representatives of the business community. At the fifth Cooperation Conference in Kathmandu, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry made commitments to organize discussions on the WTO. The eighth meet of SAARC Food Security Reserve Board was held in Kathmandu in April and at the same time, SAARC workshop on Trade Information and E-Commerce was held in Delhi in April. All these have served as apt curtain raisers and are in accord to the aspirations of the seven governments to forge ahead with the agendas and programmes.

SAARC which carries with it the hope of the teeming millions living in destitute and poverty must take lessons from this episode of Indo-Pak conflict and try not only to rescue itself from being a shadow of politicians and governments but also to become a symbol of friendship and brotherhood of the peoples of the region. Sadly, many have criticized SAARC’s organizational structure as having more to do with the bureaucrats than with the common man. Whatever the critiques, one must not forget that only through the concerted efforts of all quarters can the region hope to have a SAARC parliament or even a SAARC common currency as we move forward into the 21st century.

For Sensible Living

By Sanjeev Pandey

MOMENT by moment-that’s the way time goes by in our lives. And what we do during those moments largely determines the state of our health. In other words, whether we get sick and what we get sick with, and even die from, primarily result from the decisions that each of us make hour by hour, day by day.

By nature, all of us are destined to die somebody. How and when it occurs is the result of two major factors: heredity and lifestyle. The first, those strengths and weaknesses we inherit from our parents, is beyond our control. The second, the cumulative effects of the multitude of things we do or don’t do, has the greatest effect on our health and well-being; and it usually determines our ultimate fate.

Numerous studies of individuals and groups of people with similar lifestyles have concluded that the so-called good life modern man has sought, can kill. Today’s major killers are heart diseases, cancer, stroke and accidents. Within the past century man conquered the old killers-mostly communi-cable diseases like TB, smallpox-but he has become prone to other diseases so devastating today.

The undermining of health has resulted from such changes as environ-mental pollution, the abuse of tobacco and alcohol, sedentary living promoted by labour saving conve-niences, eating patterns that put pleasure of the senses above the physiological needs of the body, and the stresses created by modern life.

To be more specific, today’s health problems are premature deaths resulting from such common insults to the human body as overeating, eating foods rich in sugar and animal fat, failing to get enough physical activity, smoking, drinking alcoholic beve-rages, and living an increasingly life-threate-ning environment.

Most modern diseases develop slowly. Some, such as heart disease and cancer, often arise after decades of abuse of the body. We need to learn about how our bodies work and how to keep functioning well. People generally take better care of their cars and pets than themselves.

The rules for sensible living are not very complicated, and they don’t cost you anything extra. You just need to decide moment by moment-how just are going to live. Try the following:

Eat simple nutritious food. Eat regularly. Eat only what you need to maintain your ideal weight.

Exercise regularly. You may be surprised at how enjoyable and refreshing regular outdoor activity can be.

Respect your body’s need for rest. Sufficient sleep is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

Use lots of water-inside and outside.

Avoid the health destroying habits of smoking and alcohol use.

Preserve the life you have; don’t ruin it.

Enjoy life. Be positive. Put you trust in God.

The "good life" can kill. Make sensible decisions and live. And remember "Health is not everything, but without it everything is nothing."