Developing responsive indicators for the Indian Biosphere Reserve Programme

Abstract

Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are intended to reconcile challenges relating to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, social and economic development and maintenance of associated cultural values. In keeping with these objectives, India has established a network of 11 Biosphere Reserves. The study attempts to evaluate the performance of these BRs using a set of indicators relating to community participation, legal and institutional mechanisms, management capacity and effectiveness. The specific indicators relate to the Indian context and give special attention to issues like people-wildlife conflict, understanding of programme objectives at various hierarchical levels, continuance of traditional conservation, practices and promotion of scientific research. Indian BRs have, by and large, failed to resolve or even added to resource conflicts due to inter agency disputes or imposition of an inappropriate model of development Moreover, major management decisions seem to be taken at higher bureaucratic levels without reference to livelihood concerns of local people and traditional resource management systems followed in local areas On the other hand, Indian BRs have been successful in areas like supplementary income generation The study also points to a methodology of using 'discriminatory' performance indicators which would be adequately sensitive to the proximate needs of ecologically handicapped communities.