Biodiversity

Exploiting the rampant poverty and unemployment in South Africa, international traffickers lure local youth into stealing rare plants for sale in Asian and Arab countries. Though laws have been strengthened, a technological solution would be more effective in curbing biopiracy.

The cliff honey that Himalayan tribes used for its medicinal properties has come to be called mad honey, thanks to its consumption by thrill-seekers to get a high, unaware of the health complications it could lead to.

Environmental stress from extreme weather is altering the chemical composition of medicinal plants, changing their therapeutic properties, and making traditional remedies less predictable or effective.

“I never had to use a medical cream in my life,” says Biren Bhuiyan. Pointing to the skin ailments which he now treats with store-bought medicine, he says, “There used to be abundant medicinal plants around us, but we can’t find them here. We are dependent on hospitals now.” 

Earlier this year, I embarked on a probing trip to a small coastal area in Southeast Asia to see what this ancient wood-eater could offer us: about resilience, and the many ways life endures, adapts, and sustains others.

Of course, not all hunting is ethical. Just as not all agriculture is sustainable, and not all fishing is responsible. But the presence of harmful practices does not invalidate the value of ethical ones. The question we should be asking is not, “Is hunting good or bad?” But rather, “What values does it reflect? What relationships does it sustain?”

As I watched the snake crawl off into the darkness, I thought back to the copperhead incident of my youth that happened in those same woods.

గత దశాబ్ద కాలంగా ఏనుగులు మనుషుల జీవన్మరణ పోరాటంలో జిల్లాలో 6,900కు పైగా ఏనుగుల దాడులు మానవులపై జరిగాయి.

“मला खात्री आहे की नसबंदी हा एकमेव उपाय असू शकत नाही.”

“I feel happy whenever I see my fellow women because the work is done towards the development of the community so I feel glad.”