Can India preserve its natural heritage in the face of pressure on land and resources?
This is the crux of the problem. In spite of all the debate over conservation issues, I believe that the real pressures are only just beginning, when India is poised to grow economically at over eight per cent per year and our population continues to increase at a noticeable rate in many regions. Highways, railway lines, mining projects, dams, industries and commercial ventures all threaten to further fracture our forests. What according to you are the biggest threats to the protected areas? There are several threats. The first is that the protected areas may eventually become islands if the demands of development become intense. At present we are still fortunate in that larger landscapes incorporating protected areas and reserved forests still exist in some parts, for instance, the Western Ghats, central India and the northeast, but all this could change quickly. Second, we have little idea of what is happening below the forest canopy. Invasive plants such as Lantana, Chromolaena and
