Remembering M.S. Swaminathan’s Legacy of ecological conservation

Remembering M.S. Swaminathan’s Legacy of ecological conservation

Subject : Environment

Section: sustainable development

Context:

• Dr. M. S Swaminathan, the renowned agricultural scientist known as the Father of India’s Green Revolution, passed away at his residence in Chennai on September 28 at the age of 98. The Padma Vibhushan awardee was Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and headed the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. He was the first to get the World Food Prize and used the proceeds from the prize to establish the renowned MSSRF non-profit trust.

Ecological conservation approach of Dr. Swaminathan:

• His original biography – “Scientist and Humanist – M.S. Swaminathan” – was written by R.D. Iyer.
• He worked extensively on four aspects of conservation: mangrove ecosystem, biodiversity conservation, genetic  conservation and Keystone Dialogues (which pertained to plant genetic resources and biological diversity).
• Centre of diversity for mangrove species: Aims to maintain the genetic diversity of the ecosystem of the Indo-Malaysian region.
• His approach for ecological conservation includes:
  • Every country should achieve harmony between human and animal populations, and the natural resource endowments.
  • Unless the livelihood security of people was strengthened, conservation of unique natural endowments could become a lost cause in poor and overpopulated countries.
  • He argued for the need for an international Protocol on Biosafety under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • He supported the conservation of native breeds to counter the potential negative impact of crossbreeding.
• He had formulated an educational programme “Every Child a Scientist” to sensitize children of the country’s biological heritage and conservation methods. It is a programme for promoting the theme of conservation agriculture.
• In 1984 he became the President of IUCN and emphasized that:
  • IUCN must be Earth-centric rather than Euro-centric.
  • Poor and hungry should get as much attention as saving pandas and penguins.
  • He asked for promoting afforestation in Africa to reduce the food crisis.
• He developed a three-pronged hunger elimination strategy. He emphasized that our common future depends upon our common present, and that bridging the nutrition divide is fundamental to bridging all other divides.