In The Battle Between Man VS Wild, Highways & Railway Lines Emerge As New Challenges

Remember the video of a tiger chasing a bike rider at Pambra forest road that had gone viral on social media? The tiger was seen chasing the biker on the road from the forest and while we may be concerned about the safety of passers-by through such roads there is little thought spared to understand as to what may have actually driven the animal to go on such a wild spree.

If humans have so evolved themselves that they prefer to live within the four walls of comfort with modern technological and architectural developments at their disposal, the forest is the home of the wild and that is how they like it.

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These jungles are where they live and they, understandably, are not comfortable with infrastructural developments in their habitats that are introduced by us.

When a highway or a railway line is drawn through the very heart of a given forest, its implications are more severe than what may appear at the surface.

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For example, we may assume that the construction of highways through a dense forest will only impact the animals living in its immediate vicinity but we could not be further from the truth.

An Entire Eco-System Is Disturbed

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Environment enthusiasts and wildlife experts have asserted that most wild animals move through different zones of the forest with the changing seasons. In other words, they develop an understanding of the climatic conditions and are able to ascertain their adaptability at a rate that is much greater than that of the humans.

Besides, they depend on natural sources of water and hunt their prey, which requires them to move constantly and this movement is determined by the senses of the animal in question. Among the reasons for mankind¡¯s sustained failure in living in harmony with the wild is our misconception that all creatures follow the same pattern as humans.

Gambling With Rules Of Nature Can Be Catastrophic

Nature has its own rules and every living being is unique in the story of its survival. For instance: Feeling thirsty for privileged humans may mean drawing water from a machine barely a few steps away from him/her but for animals, it may require them to walk for miles to reach the water body in order to quench their thirst.

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Wild animals are expert at remembering routes and key locations and they have developed a deep tendency to adapt to their immediate surrounding. So, it is not unusual for them to walk for several kilometres on a daily basis. In fact, in reserves such as the Ranthambore, it can be keenly observed that smaller and larger animals have developed separate timings to visit the water body and signs to warn each other for their safety.

The problem arises when a highway is stretched through the middle, leaving the animal on one side and a part of its habitat on the other. Besides, all things in nature are inter-related and a disturbance in one aspect disturbs the entire ecosystem.

The Construction Noise Is Maddening:

Imagine entering a quiet room when the sounds of a hundred thunders are suddenly burst right into your ears! The forest is quieter and the noise of construction is even louder and it goes on for days after days without a break until a scar is forever etched in the face of the earth.

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At first, the birds fly away and in their escape lies the trigger warning of the wrath waiting to be unleashed. The animals find themselves in a strange fix, probably unable to make sense of the upheaval that disturbs and restricts their movement within their own habitats. The smaller animals and reptiles are more vulnerable to be harmed by the loud decibels whereas the larger ones tend to become more violent and aggressive in their behaviour.

The other difference it brings along is that of intrusion as humans suddenly prop up in large numbers to carry out the construction work. And they are not friendly; aware of the clashes in the past, construction workers are usually guarded or well-armed to defend themselves in case something was to go wrong. The unexpressed plight of animals does not cease with the culmination of the project but their hope that things may return to normalcy is forever crushed as the highways or railway lines become functional.

The noise, then, becomes the norm and risks to their lives increases as fatal accidents begin to occur on a frequent basis.

Crony Capitalism At Play:

Governments around the world have become careful in how they treat their forests, particularly with regards to infrastructural projects as environment bodies have become increasingly vigilant of international protocols and commitments towards a greener world. At the same time, we are today more aware of the damages that are done to forests when such projects are carried out than what we may have been about a decade or so ago.

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This, however, has not deterred the cocktail of political corruption and crony capitalism that never ceases to exploit natural resources no matter what its costs to the environment and our futures are. Therefore, in cases where procuring land from local inhabitants is either overly expensive or faces resistance, corporate groups, which usually carry out such projects through tenders, turn towards the forests.

The governments around the world and corporate lobbies are complicit too and their coming together results in rules being bent and concerns being ignored in the name of development. Besides, construction of highways and railway lines through forests is a doubly profitable deal as the land, on one hand, is procured at cheaper rates than what they may have incurred if they were procured from owners elsewhere and on the other hand, the timber collected as a result of deforestation earns them a surplus return.

Sustainable Development Is The Need Of The Hour

As the world stares into a phase of rapid urbanisation, infrastructural development can no longer be ignored no matter what the activists and pro-environment groups say. Development is important but can there be a greater push to making it more sustainable?

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The Indian railways is in the process of introducing thermal detectors on railway lines to avoid clashes that lead to death of numerous animals. Similar initiatives have also been implied in several other countries as well as along forest highways in some regions but we are only beginning to correct the errors of our past. Most of such highways were constructed at a time when the complexities of these matters were either not discussed widely or not taken seriously and therefore significant issues were neglected during the course of their construction.

The pace at which forest highways and railways lines are constructed have increased dramatically the world over in recent years, owing to technological advancements and depleting resources which have tempted the governments to extract more of them from forests.

Tourism and man¡¯s quest for solitude is also leading us into the hitherto unknown territories that lie hidden in the heart of the forest.

At this crucial juncture when the world is gradually waking up to the degradation of the environment, it is also marching ahead with an equal, if not greater, pace. Striking a balance, therefore, between this surging development and sustainability largely ignored so far will be instrumental in carving the future of the planet we call home.