The Importance Of Biodiversity And Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental issues such as dirt debasement, worsening biodiversity, solid waste jobs, chemical pollution, planetary clime alteration and usage of fossil fuels have become jobs of non merely a individual state but of full humanity. Issues of environment are recognized globally because of the trans-boundary nature of jobs that emanates from environmental debasement. The impact of environmental debasement does non halt at one state provinces ‘ boundary line, but have a far reaching impact at another topographic point. Environmental debasement has long been attributed to human activities since the beginning of industrial revolution. An recognition to the trans-boundary impact of such activities on the environment was foremost witnessed in the 1970 by the sensing of the depletion of ozone bed above the Earth ‘s ambiance. Subsequently, other environmental issues such as the dangers of risky waste, clime alteration, and loss of bio diverseness were taken up at the planetary degree. Taking biodiversity as one such issue, this thesis will turn to this issue in the context of trans-boundary preservation attempt. Here the function of scientific community, local based cognition and national authorities ( s ) attempt at preservation will be examined. To this, an epistemological attack of government theory will be employed to understand the nature of preservation in the Singalila Range which lies between India ‘s Darjeeling territory and Nepal ‘s Ilam ‘s territory. Biodiversity is the diverseness of works and carnal species in an environment. The more diverse a home ground, the better opportunity it has of lasting a alteration or menace to it, because it is more likely to be able to do a reconciliation accommodation. Habitats with small biodiversity ( e.g. , Arctic tundra ) are more vulnerable to alter. Harmonizing to the Britannica concise encyclopaedia, biodiversity is defined as â€Å" Diversity of works and carnal species in an environment † The Convention of Biodiversity 1992, defined it as â€Å" the variableness among populating beings from all beginnings including, inter alia, tellurian, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological composites of which they are portion ; this includes diverseness within species, between species and of ecosystems † ( Convention On Biological Diversity 1992: Article 2 ) . In the â€Å" Global Biodiversity Strategy † of 1992 formulated by the World Resources Institute, World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme, biodiversity is defined as â€Å" the entirety of cistrons, species, and ecosystems in a part † ( p3 ) Closely linked to the thought of biodiversity is the construct of preservation. Conservation of biodiversity agencies planned direction of a natural resource or of a peculiar ecosystem to forestall development, pollution, devastation, or disregard and to guarantee the future serviceability of the resource. In the West, preservation attempts day of the month back to 17th-century European woods when increasing demands for fuel and edifice stuffs was deemed unsafe to forest resources. National Parkss, foremost established in the nineteenth century, were dedicated to the saving of uncultivated land non merely to supply a safe oasis to wildlife but besides to protect watershed countries and assist guarantee a clean H2O supply. Thus, national statute law and international pacts and ordinances aim to strike a balance between the demand for development and the demand to conserve the environment for the hereafter. Wild life preservation is the ordinance of wild animate beings and workss in such a manner as to supply for their continuation. Attempts are aimed at forestalling the decrease of present populations and guaranting the continued being of home grounds. To accomplish this, techniques involve constitution of sanctuaries and controls on hunting, usage of land, importing of foreign species, pollution, and usage of pesticides was adopted. In the context of preservation, it is of import to observe that life scientist demands to understand that civilization forms an of import feature in preservation, particularly in countries, where bulk of the dwellers are autochthonal community who for centuries adapted to the eco-system of that part, every bit good as practiced age old traditional methods of preservation. Globally, there have been many instances where local communities forms an of import portion of preservation attempt. In others, biodiversity preservation among the communities was facilitated by the scientific community. In the Himalayas, the function of scientific discipline can non be ignored particularly when taking into history of job of clime alteration, increasing urbanisation, and loss of biodiversity. However, at the same clip, this part imbibed the function of traditional cognition in protection of bi-diversity. The present of sacred grove and animistic believe testify to 1s such man-nature relationship. Therefore, it is the purpose of this thesis to analyze the interface of between the scientific discipline and tradition in preservation patterns in the Singalila scope of the eastern Himalayas ; the part surrounding India ‘s Darjeeling territory and Nepal ‘s Illam territory. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Singalila Ridge is a North-South running mountain ridge between Darjeeling territory of West Bengal, India and Illam District of Nepal. This scope extends up to North Sikkim District in Sikkim. The country of survey will concentrate on the Maneybhanjyang-Phalut stretch which is portion of India ‘s Singalila scope. The survey will besides include the immediate small towns of Illam territory which autumn under Nepalese ‘s Singalila scope ( see Map, fig 1 ) . This scope is celebrated for its trekking paths and peculiarly the Maneybhanjyang- Phalut trek path which offers brilliant position of Mt. Kanchenjunga and pristine landscapes. Thick bamboo, oak, magnolia and rhododendron wood between 2000 and 3600 metre cover the Singalila Ridge. There are two seasons of wildflower bloom-one in spring ( March-April ) when the Rhododendrons bloom, and another in the post-monsoon season ( around October ) , when the lower woods bloom ( Primula, Geranium, Saxifraga, Bistort, Senecio, Cotoneaster and legion orchids ) . Sandakphu is known as the â€Å" mountain of toxicant workss † due to the big concentration of Himalayan Cobra Lilies ( Arisaema ) which grow there ( Department of Forest, West Bengal ) . There are many preservation attempts traveling on around this part. On the Indian side of the scope and within the district of West Bengal lies the Singalila National Park. This country was declared a national park in the twelvemonth 1992. This park is celebrated for the assortment of rhododendrons and other bio species. The park has a figure of little mammals including the Red Panda, Leopard Cat, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin and the Pika. Larger mammals include the Himalayan Black Bear, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Serow and Takin. Bird species like the Scarlet Minivet, Kalij Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Brown and Fulvous Parrotbills and Rufous-vented Tit etc are besides found in this part. ( Department of Forest, West Bengal ) Towards the North of this park, lies the Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary which falls under Sikkim, a provincial province of the Indian brotherhood. The average one-year temperature in this part varies from 7degree Celsius to 17 grade Celsius in summer and in winter it varies from 1 degree Celsius to 10 grade Celsius. Mean one-year rainfall in this part is about 350 centimeter. and moderate storms accompanied by hailstones are common in this country during March- April. This country besides receives snowfall which can get down anytime between the terminal of November to January/ February and sometimes even continues up to late April. Within the Singalila scope there are many small towns which exist outside the national park country and most of these small towns are located in the Nepali district. However two small towns viz. Foktey and Gorkhey are still bing within the national park. The traditional beginning of income for these small towns is subsistence agribusiness and farm animal raising. However, in recent old ages touristry has replaced these traditional beginnings as the chief beginning of income for support. Agricultural merchandise includes corn, veggies like murphies, radish, cabbages etc. and farm animal includes sheep, caprine animals and yacks. Few yak Herders can be seen around Sabarkum and Phalut ( 3600m ) . Adventure tourism-has flourished in this country and the month of March- April and October-November is the best season to see. Between the months of June to September the forest sections in the Indian side do non let any tourer to see this part as this is the engendering season of wild life. Movement of tourer is restricted as non to upset the animate being ‘s genteelness. Furthermore, trekking during the monsoon season is the non feasible as the trail becomes really unsmooth and difficult to undertake because of heavy rainfall. While the Indian side of the Singalila scope there is a national park with no human habitation allowed inside the park, in Nepal ‘s district there is no national park antonym, but preservation in the district is based on communitarian pattern of preservation. In the Indian side of the scope, the lands which falls outside the legal power of the national park was declared as the territorial wood from where colonies were non removed but within these districts excessively no new colonies are allowed. Previously colonies which came under the district of the national park was removed, nevertheless, there is a little small town located in the vale of Gorkhey were little Numberss of population are non removed. But at the same clip, no new building of houses is allowed in this small town. Eco development Community and Forest Protection Committeehas been instrumental in supplying public assistance to the people in forest small towns and has besides been instrumental in conveying preservation consciousness among the local population. Along the Nepali district, community forestry is taking stairss for preservation. Many small towns[ 1 ]are located in this belt hence ; the forest section in Nepal has to take attention of non merely the preservation issues but besides has to negociate the quandary of community development and biodiversity preservation. The community forestry plan in Nepal emerged in 1978 to forestall deforestation and forest debasement. This attempt bit by bit developed into a participatory forestry plan which was now based on institutional development ( Kanel et.al 2005: 80 ) . The Community Forest Division ( CFD ) comes under the Department of Forests of Nepal and is responsible for steering policies, back uping the executing of these policies, and besides oversing the community forest plan and undertakings in Nepal. This undertaking is headed by the Joint Secretary degree division who supervises the CFD ( Kanel et.al. 2005: 75 ) . Despite the presence of conservatory attempt, the Singalila scope which encompasses two national boundaries faces figure of menaces to its biodiversity. There has been habitat debasement in this part. The biodiversity debasement in this part can be attributed to unsustainable extraction and usage of natural resources, impacts from unregulated touristry, and presence of para-military cantonments within the forest scopes of India. Some 65 works, 19 mammal, and 11 bird species are already threatened in this part ( Chettri 2000 ) . Furthermore, the difference in political and administrative scenes in Nepal and India to a big extent jeopardizes preservation issues and precedences. The hit-or-miss land-use patterns outside the protected country of the National park have resulted into the insufficiency of preservation policies. Most of the environmental degrading activities happen on the peripheries of the National park. Such debasement on the peripheries of the national park occurs because of the absence of a buffer zone between the national park and human home ground. Before 1992, unregulated boundary line graze inside the park was common. However, with the constitution of the National Park, croping inside the park country was prohibited and many cowss Stationss were removed from the park country. Therefore, it can be seen that the constitution of a buffer zone is hard if non impossible because the construct of preservation in this country itself is new, and neither was there any natural barrier ( example-river ) to move as a buffer zone. In the last few old ages at that place has been attempt to beef up this preservation attempt non merely within the country of the national park of single states but besides beyond it. This new attempt is trans-boundary in its attack which includes the function of Non-Governmental Organisations ( NGOs ) , International Non Governmental Organisations ( INGOs ) , academics establishments, and most significantly, the local communities of the part both in India and Nepal. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze this transboundary preservation attack by concentrating on the function of the epistemological communities.[ 2 ]Harmonizing to Peter Haas, an epistemological community is a â€Å" web of professionals with recognized expertness and competency in a peculiar sphere and an important claim to policy-relevant cognition within that sphere or issue-area † ( Haas 1992: 27 ) . Hass besides defines epistemological communities as â€Å" channels through which new thoughts circulate from societies to authoritiess every bit good as from state to state † ( Haas 1992: 27 ) . This survey will nevertheless non curtail the definition of Peter Hass ‘ ‘epistemic community ‘ merely to the scientific community and expert based cognition but will besides see traditional cognition of the autochthonal communities of preservation as another signifier of a knowledge-based society. In the Himalayan parts, traditional cognition of biodiversity preservation has been existed for 100s of old ages where the community ‘s life is closely dependent on nature. This symbiotic relation between the community and nature is manifested through the assorted signifiers of community life. Environmental protection is by and large manifested through the community ‘s faith and folklore where preservation is practised through constitution of sacred Grovess, worship of mountain divinities, pattern of traditional healing system, and community usage of resources. It is in the importance of such symbiotic dealingss that any perturbation to the physical environment is deemed damaging to the life of the community. And many a times, any effort to make so is duly resisted ; the instance of Chipko motion in Uttranchal and the Lepcha ‘s opposition to the building of Teesta Dam in the Dzongu country of Sikkim is a instance in the point. Therefore for the intent of this survey, epistemological communities will include both the western and traditional construct of knowledge-based society ; both holding the expertness in the given issue countries of biodiversity preservation. The principle of following such attack is to non merely to recognize traditional cognition base but besides to speculate the hazards of exclusion of these traditional communities from bio diverseness preservation. In most instances, failure in preservation attempt or struggle over preservation attempt is chiefly because of the exclusion of local community ‘s cognition towards preservation instead than their rights to the usage of resources within the countries of preservation. Using this attack, the principle of this survey is to research the function played by the ‘epistemic community ‘[ 3 ]in biodiversity preservation in the Singalila scope. Such apprehension will enable us to place the broader jobs faced by India and Nepal in transboundary preservation attempt in this part.Methodological APPROACHES RE-CONSIDEREDEpistemic COMMUNITIES: Methodological APPROACHES RE-CONSIDEREDBiodiversity Conservation and Epistemic CommunitiesIncreasing globalisation has brought mutuality between provinces. This has brought internationalisation of a given topic. This besides leads into issue-interlinking which in peculiar makes it harder for provinces to take a policy-decision on some given issues. Domestic issue-areas may hold an impact on a broad aggregation of other issue-area – domestically every bit good as internationally oriented 1s. This in bend agencies that most traditional issue-areas may be included in the epistemological community attack, for in our instance we have included the issue of preservation which traditionally has been a portion of domestic issue country. ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) The epistemological community is a beginning for cognition in a given issue-area, from where the policy-shapers can pull. The grade to which policy-shapers demand advice depends on the degree of information-complexity, which once more depends on the sum of information and the sum of ( perceived ) information interconnectedness ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) . The degree and grade of information is huge every bit good as complex which requires policy shapers to organize and understand the function of the scientific community and traditional cognition based communities. Recognition of the presence of these communities in understanding preservation is spread outing quickly as portion of sustainable development attack. Functions are besides being supplemented by the function of the administrative officials whose policy-based cognition is necessary for implementing preservation policy. Haas gives the illustration of the turning proficient nature of jobs and the turning figure of administrative offic ials functioning in authorities sections in determining policy on a issues countries â€Å" have fostered an addition in the respect paid to proficient expertness, and in peculiar, to that of scientists † ( Haas 1992: 9- 11, ) The cardinal belief of the epistemological community attack is, to some grade, the community positions comes before the positions of single members, therefore connoting that the single members will probably to be faithful to the community. Such belief derives from the simple hypothesis that the community and the single portion basic community-norms. At any given point, if difference between the community members, it can â€Å" either be dismissed as extraordinary, and statistically unimportant, single exercisings, or as wholly ‘extra communal ‘ activities. † ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) Harmonizing to Peter Hass, members of the epistemological community may be from a assortment of subjects and backgrounds but must hold: 1 ) A shared set of normative and principled beliefs, which provide a value-based principle for the societal action of community members. 2 ) Shared causal beliefs, which are derived from their analysis of patterns taking or lending to a cardinal set of jobs in their sphere and which so serve as the footing for clarifying the multiple linkages between possible policy action and desired results 3 ) Shared impressions of validity-that is, intersubjective, internally defined standards for weighing and formalizing cognition in the sphere of their expertness 4 ) A common policy enterprise- that is, a set of common patterns associated with a set of jobs to which their professional competency is directed, presumptively out of the strong belief that human public assistance will be enhanced as a effect. ( International Organization, Vol 46, p.3. ) As discussed earlier, epistemological communities is a knowledge-expert based community which focuses on a peculiar issue country which is dependent on four variables of â€Å" type of issue-area, issue-relevant information complexness, community coherence, and links to policy-shapers † ( Sundstrom, 2000 ) . In the country of environmental protection, Peter Hass has highlighted the Mediterranean part as a perfect illustration where a function of epistemological communities was efficaciously implemented in commanding transboundary Marine pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. The widespread pollution of the Mediterranean is the effect of high coastal population emphasis, unregulated industrial, municipal, and agricultural emanation patterns. To control this job, a co-ordinated attempt of all the coastal provinces was needed for a common pollution criterion for pollutants from oilers, offshore dumping, and a assortment of land based beginnings ( Hass 1989: 377- 403 ) . Pollution of Mediterranean Sea was widely regarded as a corporate job, since pollutants of both developed and developing states in the Mediterranean country could disperse up on its neighbour ‘s beaches. Pollution was recognized by all provinces in the part but no such action or was taken or agreed upon because of conflicting involvement and deficiency of scientific informations on the nature of the job and its solution. However, it was merely when the scientific community of ecologist and expert came in that the Mediterranean Plan was successfully negotiated. ( Hass 1989: 377-403 ) . These experts who served in UNEP ‘s secretariat had limited control in the determination devising of their several states and were given duty for implementing and administrating pollution control measures. These experts became supporter for following the government following with it, and beef uping it to cover with more pollutants from the beginnings. With the engagement of these new histrio ns, province involvements reflected their environmental position, and province behaviour came to reflect their involvement as good, as was obvious from province investing forms and diplomatic actions ( Hass 1989: 377- 403 ) . The instance of Mediterranean Plan shows that if a group with a common point of view is able to acquire clasp of and keep control over determination devising, the associated government will go stronger and provinces will move in conformity with it. Such groups will besides be consulted during crisis, particularly when the policy shapers are incognizant about the proficient dimensions of the job at manus or are unsure about the cost and benefits of international cooperation ( Hass 1989: 377- 403 ) . Added to this, the flow of information is undeniably a critical portion of the epistemological communities. The hunt for information is the chief stimulation for steadily turning epistemological co-operation every bit good as connexion to the decision-making construction ( Sundstrom 2000 ) . Epistemic communities besides play a critical function in regime formation. Epistemic communities are important â€Å" channels through which new thoughts circulate from societies to authoritiess every bit good as from state to state † ( P. Haas 1992:27 ) . They are non merely aimed at supplying information to the determination shapers but besides seeking to convey about â€Å" better policy † by looking for entree to regulating constitution ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996, 177-228 ) . Because of revolution in transit and communicating in a globalized epoch, there is a free flow of information internationally ; resultantly these webs of experts maps transnationally. New findings are shared and discussed across national boundary lines. When members of an epistemological community reach understanding on an issue in their field of survey, they become a comparatively independent beginning of scientific grounds and authorization ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996: 209 ) . A transnationally interacting epistemological community therefore becomes a Centre for international acquisition ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996: 209 ) . Harmonizing to Peter Haas ( 1992 ) , there are three conditions that determine whether the epistemic community will hold an impact on international government. First, there must be a high grade of uncertainness among policymakers. Most of the clip determination shapers do non recognize that they have an deficient cognition of complex issues. It is merely during the clip of a crisis they realizes their failing and seeks aid from an epistemological community ( P. Haas 1992:14 ) . Second, no sound policy advice can be given unless a high grade of consensual cognition exists among the members of the epistemological community ( P. Haas 1992: .23 ) .When â€Å" scientific grounds is equivocal and the experts themselves are split into postulating cabals, issues have tended to be resolved less on their proficient virtues than on their political 1s † ( P. Haas 1992: 11 ) . Third, members of the epistemological community must hold adequate entree and control in the determination devising in order to act upon regime formation and execution ( P. Haas 1992: 27 ) . An epistemological community must go portion of the determination devising ( Hasenclever Andreas et Al. 1996: 209 ) . An effort at understanding biodiversity preservation in the Himalayas and function played by different histrions in germinating an epistemological community will be of import in easing regime formation. The importance of this country stretches beyond India and Nepal, it involves other states like Bhutan and China excessively. Beyond the Singalia scope lies the Kanchendonza eco-system that cut across these states. Therefore better apprehension of the cognition of this country will affect conceptional procedures in the creative activity and consolidation of epistemological communities ( Bloodworth 2008 ) . It is merely through the apprehension of this conceptional procedure that thoughts and norms in international dealingss emerges, and most significantly in their effects on policies of trans-boundary jobs ( Bloodgood, 2008 ) . In simple words, this conceptional procedure based on epistemic apprehension of the jobs by histrions can ease the formation of transboundary biodiversity prese rvation government in the eastern Himalayas.Traditional Knowledge BasedKnowledge of preservation and biodiversity can be understood merely when civilization is taking into history. Sharing of cultural cognition on preservation would take to beef uping of the already acquired scientific discipline based cognition. Knowledge depends on the epistemic places and methodological attacks which we hold and both of these depend on our already acquired values ( Bloodgood 2008: 3 ) . Autochthonal traditional cognition becomes an acquired value through the continuity of cultural pattern over clip and infinite. In recent old ages, certification of the traditional ecological cognition has become of import for modern applied research non merely to continue traditional cognition but besides to profit from these aged old traditional patterns to germinate new thoughts and theoretical accounts for an ecologically sound usage of the natural environment. Conservation attempts in the Singalila scope have been initiated with the duty shared by governmental establishments, NGOs, INGOs and local communities. In the Indian side of the boundary line, the authorities of India has been instrumental in bordering constabularies for preservation following the protected wood scheme in conserving the biodiversity of the topographic point. By declaring the part as a National Park in1992, the authorities of India ‘s preservation scheme is that of a protected wood scheme which mandated rigorous steps to preservation is applied. In contrast to the Indian scheme, the Nepalese ‘s scheme of preservation is community based attack which focuses on the engagement of the local community in preservation and resource use. In both states, NGOs like ATREE, DLR Prerna, FOSEP, NCDC has been executing a transboundary function, therefore they can be described as â€Å" Transboundary NGOs ( TBNGOs ) † in biodiversity preservation. The TBNGOs though registered in one state but their functions in preservation encompasses the geographical boundary of the two states. For illustration, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment ( ATREE ) is an Indian registered environmental NGO working in the country of environment direction and sustainable support. ATREE, though registered in India, its legal power does non restrict to India ‘s district merely, nevertheless, its activities has been to advance environmental direction and preservation within the Singalila scope of Nepal ‘s district every bit good. Besides the function of these TBNGOs, other INGOs like WWF and ICIMOD have been active in preservation attempts in the Singalila scope. Here the function of ICIMOD is more relevant. ICIMOD has been vocal about transforming the informal function of TBNGOs into a formal one, therefore commiting the transboundary preservation non merely between India and Nepal but the whole of the eastern Himalayas. So far ICIMOD has been playing the function of a facilitator for the development of an epistemological community by supplying expertness to the authoritiess, local communities, and NGOs on bio diverseness preservation in the Himalayas. A inquiry might originate as to why the function of epistemological community is given accent in this survey of preservation in the Singalila scope? Further inquiry on the linkages between ICIMOD ‘s scientific discipline based cognition and the local community ‘s traditional cognition may originate. The former being a scientific discipline based cognition facilitator and the subsequently as a traditional cognition facilitator. Such linkages need to be examined in order to understand the importance of traditional norms, values and civilization of traditional communities in biodiversity preservation patterns. For centuries India and Nepal have shared deep cultural and spiritual ties which can be traced back to the ancient text of Ramayana and Mahabharata. However, over the period of clip particularly from the mediaeval period onwards Nepal has maintained its independent position with small intervention from India. Despite the formation of a new Nepal land in the 18 century, cultural and spiritual was ne'er severed off. These ties continue to boom through people to people contact. Post 1947, these ties was cemented by the sign language of the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950. The pact provides for an unfastened boundary line between the two states, leting free and unrestricted travel of people and goods.[ Thursday ]The pact besides grants equal rights in footings of support and chance for people in both states. Despite the deep historical and economic ties between these two neighbors, there has been countries where cooperation is hard to get at. Biodiversity preservation i s one such country where cooperation between the two is missing. In the context of survey on cooperation in international dealingss, the weak coaction between India and Nepal in footings of preservation can be attributed to the complete accent of two broad thoughts, that is, neo-liberalism and neoliberal institutionalism. In both these strands of liberalism, market and formal establishments instead than civilization is given more importance to convey about cooperation ( See Keohane, R. ‘International Institutions: Two Approaches ‘ , in International Studies Quarterly 32, 1988 ) . The failure to convey about civilization is to ignore the importance of constructed cognition of the communities over their milieus. Thus the constructions of human association are determined non merely by constructions of stuff forces but chiefly by shared thoughts ( Wendt 1999: 1 ) . In the Himalayas, over the last few old ages, thoughts and involvement over preservation is shared by NGOs, TBNGOs, INGOs and national authorities holding similar individualitie s and involvement over biodiversity protection in the country. However, the attacks and methods of preservation differs which farther alienate traditional knowledge-based communities from the procedure of preservation. Therefore if â€Å" shared cognition, material resources, and patterns † are to be implemented, there is a demand for rapprochement between the function of the epistemological communities and that of traditional communities ( see Wendt 1992: 73 ) This thesis hence efforts at gestating preservation in the context of scientific cognition based community and the bing traditional cognition. It assumes that a one dimensional attack of looking at scientific cognition based community as the lone facilitator of preservation is flawed and parlous. In the history of preservation in autochthonal countries, it has been through empirical observation proved that a one dimensional attack without the support of local community has been a failure. The importance of understanding local community ‘s traditional cognition is hence imperative to preservation. Traditional system of preservation has been existed for 1000s of old ages but with of all time increasing alteration in scientific discipline and engineering, such cognition has been challenged in two foreparts ; one is the loss of this cognition and the other is version to modern cognition and engineering of preservation. It is in this scheme, gestating preservation should take into h istory of both the traditional based cognition and the scientific cognition based attack. In other words, re-thinking epistemological community-a community of autochthonal cognition and scientists-‘policy-shapers ‘ .[ 4 ] Methodology: This thesis looks at the function of epistemological communities of the part with respect to preservation issues of biodiversity of this topographic point, what have been their attempts so far? How far has they been able to act upon their several authorities? And what are the chances of incorporating traditional based cognition into the western attack of preservation hereafter? As epistemological community attack to see international cooperation bridges the rationalist and the station rationalist institutional attack so both qualitative and quantitative methods has been applied in this research. Methodology applied in this research is literature reappraisal of the bing literature on epistemological communities. Another tools used for roll uping informations was interview. So far 11 NGOs and 15 scientists are identified as the members of epistemological communities but due to clip constrain merely three NGO members and two scientists were interviewed. It was found out that they have non sat together in any conventions or meetings to discourse the issue of preservation so far and the web of epistemological community has non formed nonetheless we can state that it is the epistemological community in doing. Sing personal interview of the scientists and the members of NGOs semi structured type has been applied. The research docket, here excessively as identified by Peter M. Hass in his work â€Å" Introduction: Epistemic Communities and International Policy Coordination † pp.34 ( 1992 ) , involves placing community rank, finding the community members ‘ principled and causal beliefs, following their activities, and showing their influence on determination shapers at assorted points in clip. Comparative surveies of organisations are necessary, where the community is present in a certain policy country and has been active and those in which it has non been active or entirely absent. Epistemic community ‘s influence can be seen through a comparative survey of provinces and organisations in which the community has been active and those in which it has non. What can be seen following is the policies and actions of the authoritiess and organisations, before and after the stages during which a community is active so as to happen out both the outgrowth and influence of the community if there had been any. ( Haas 1992: 1-35 ) Fig. 1. Map of Singalila National Park, Darjeeling Beginning: Pradhan S. , et al. , Biological Conservation 98 ( 2001 ) p 11-18