Conservation Ethos in Local Traditions: The West Bengal Heritage

In spite of the unrelenting advent of modernization involving industrialization and market-oriented land use policies, traditional ecological ethos still survive in many indigenous societies, albeit in much attenuated forms. Based on a series of our past investigations into the traditional resource use norms and associated cultural institutions prevailing in rural Bengal societies, we demonstrate here that a large number of elements of local biodiversity, regardless of their use value, are protected by the local cultural practices. Certain cultural elements (e.g., auguries) may not have any conservation consequences, yet may reflect, in symbolic terms, a collective appreciation of the intrinsic or existence value of life forms, and the basic love and respect for nature. The study suggests that traditional conservation ethics are still capable of protecting much of the country's decimating biodiversity, as long as the local communities have even a minor share in the management of natural resources.