Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : 2.13 Nutrition and Health :

Opinion
       10/12/2018
                1599.

Sub : Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : 2.13 Nutrition and Health :

Ref : 2.12 - Science and Technology :
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2.13 Nutrition and Health :

Especially after globalization and commercialization, coupled with cultural alienation and transformed lifestyles, humans have been paying heavily in the form of lifestyle diseases. Increased consumption of popular fast food/junk food is known to cause lifestyle diseases.

Wild plant resources can provide raw materials for a number of traditional, local, healthy and eco-friendly ‛slow‛ foods such as idly, dosa, vada, bonda, patrode, paratha, tukudi, semige (vermicelli), chutney, curry, sambar, rasam, sukka, tambuli, pickle, jamoon, halwa, juices and decoctions.

The Western Ghats has been identified as one of the world’s top hotspots of biodiversity. The Western Ghats, together with the adjoining west coasts form an important eco-region of India. Ecological and economic issues mainly focus on nature’s goods and services, such as clean air and water, fertile soil, fodder and fuel wood, bamboo, cane and medicinal plants, honeybees, fish and animal husbandry as they relate to the material, aesthetic, cultural, spiritual needs of human beings. Manifold processes over a period of time have eroded the availability and enjoyment of these gifts of nature. It is therefore appropriate that the process of development become more sensitive to the needs of sustaining nature’s goods and services, even as it promotes man made goods such as roads and bore-wells, sprinklers, fertilizers and pesticides, telephones, mobiles and internets, radio and TV broadcasts.

Grassroots inputs play a vital role in sustaining nature’s goods and services, since these are still highly significant to the quality of life of the people from rural localities; people who depend on water from streams to irrigate their fields or provide some fish as food, or bamboo and cane to thatch cattle-sheds or weave baskets, or use fuelwood to cook or medicinal herbs to treat illness. The rural people are also the custodians of valuable resources such as traditional crop varieties and also have a treasury of knowledge such as the use of wild plants as food, cosmetics and medicines. In the modern times of patenting and globalization of trade, it is important to preserve these biological resources and knowledge and to ensure just-sharing of benefits from their commercial use.

Locally value-added ecosystem goods may include mats, baskets, pickles from amla, large serving spoons made of coconut shells, rain-cover (gorabe) made from the leaves of Vateria indica, milk products like dood-peda, areca palm leaf (sheath) plates etc.

Hedgerows are rich hunting grounds for wild berries, fungi (mushrooms) and other leafy vegetables. Cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons and other squashes are cultivated as vegetables because of their high water content and refreshing nature, although they are low in calories. Cucumbers are valued as an ingredient in skin care preparations. Fibre consumption help to prevent constipation and also help to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. Dietary sources of fibres mainly include fruits, figs, vegetables, cereals and pulses.

The patterns of land use and of agriculture have changed over time, thereby affecting ecosystem services. There were many varieties of paddy. Since paddy is the least paying crop, it is losing out to other crops. In addition, the new farming practices have led to the increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, coupled with intensive irrigation. The increasing areas of monoculture plantation crops, especially arecanut, coconut and cashewnut have caused reduction in the output of food grains. The land use changes, especially the conversion of former common village lands and scrub lands that were once used as grazing lands to habitation or to Casuarina, Acacia or rubber plantations have led to forced reduction in livestock holdings and a decline in organic manure resources.

The Western Ghats ecosystem also harbour a range of cultural practices like sacred groves, sacred stretches of river/stream beds, tanks, mangroves and sacred species of plants and animals. The smaller sacred groves are generally referred to as ‘devarabana’ or ‘nagabana’ (serpent groves), which are occasionally linked to temple complexes. Many species of the genus Ficus are protected by the people. Nagabanas protected the cobras. In most of the temple ponds sacred animals such as the mahseer fishes and turtles are protected. The sacred groves are also experiencing a variety of pressures including grazing, illegal felling of trees, hunting of wild animals and more recently concretization of nagabanas in the pretext of renovation. Further, the ongoing acquisition of agricultural land from the farmers for the implementation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) has not only affected the already depleting agricultural productivity, but has also destroyed a number of sacred groves leading to the extinction of some of the pristine sacred forest patches and their endemic flora and fauna.

Thus, ecosystem goods and services sustain and fulfill human life and they may be grouped into ‘provisioning’ services, such as food, water, fibre, fuels and other products; ‘supporting’ services, such as biodiversity, soil formation, pollination, waste treatment, nutrient cycling; and ‘enriching’ services, such as aesthetic, social relations and cultural traditions.

Nutritional needs vary individually, depending on a variety of factors including age, sex, level of physical activity, metabolic rate and state of health. However, whether a person needs a low daily intake of 1500 calories or a high intake of 3000 calories – the proportion of food from the different food groups should almost always remain the same. By eating a variety of foods in sensible proportions an optimum level of every nutrient needed to maintain good health can be obtained. Protecting a diversity of traditional food resources in the Western Ghats would thus ensure nutritional security as well as ensure good health of the local people.

NEXT : 3. Towards Multi-centred Governance in the Western Ghats

JAIHIND
VANDE MATARAM

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