Experts participating in a webinar on ‘Environment and Tribes’, organised under the auspices of the Orissa Environmental Society (OES) opined that the present world needs to learn lessons from the lifestyles of the indigenous people to bring lasting solutions to our environmental problems.
While the OES president Dr Sundara Narayana Patro presided over the programme, Prof Jagannath Dash, former Head, Department of Anthropology, Utkal University graced the webinar as the chief speaker.
Prof Dash narrated his long interactions with the tribal communities taking Similipal Biosphere Reserve as a case study. He explained that these people being the primary dependants are inseparable from the forests and their knowledge on ecosystem functioning is boundless.
Tribes such as Hill Khadias, Ujias and Birhors consider Similipal as their primordial home with emotional bondage, take utmost care of the resources within their territories and function as the real conservationists, he told.
Dr Patro underlined that the ethnic people are the sacred trustees of natural heritage and with their active cooperation conservation measures can be made thriving.
Secretary Dr Jaya Krushna Panigrahi opined that modernity and consumerism have greatly influenced our environment detrimentally. "We need to emulate the tribes in our environmental protection initiatives," he told.
Dr Lala AK Singh also spoke about his experience in Similipal.
