A case for Commons sense (Governance system for biodiversity and natural resources)

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 A case for Commons sense(Governance system for biodiversity and natural resources)

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• CBD 2018 summit, Egypt : The 14th meeting of the 196 nations that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt pondered over governance mechanism for biodiversity for a sustainable future.
• 2018 - An important milestone : The CBD was implemented 25 years ago, nations had 350 days to meet global biodiversity targets, and we know that 60% of our biodiversity forever.
• Global public good : Humans have always thought of natural resources (and environment) as a global public good, and communities managed it using the principle of "Commons". That meant resources like air, water, land, biodiversity belonged to humanity, and not one community or individual.
• All our modern life : We evolved to this as our communities managed the "Commons" for centuries.
• Privatisation arrives : And finally, those with power wanted to privatise resources for select groups - using principles like IPR (intellectual property rights), property management, etc. The CBD itself in a way made nations the "owners" of their resources, as it granted sovereign rights over biodiversity.
• Why we need "Commons" :

1. Nearly 33% of human population depends on "Commons" for survival,
2. 65% of land area is under "Commons" in various forms,
3. More than 293 billion tonnes of carbon is stored in collective forestlands, ( = 33 X the global energy emissions, 2017 )
4. Pollination is supported hugely, etc.

• The Indian case : Nearly 15-25% of our total land area is "Common" land (= 48 - 84 million hectares). Poor households earn upto $5 billion annually through common pool resources. 77% of Indian livestock grazes in open.
• Declining and degrading : Despite this importance, the "Commons" in India are constantly deteriorating.

1. NSSO shows a 1.9% per five years decline in area of "Common" lands, and 31-55% over 50 years.
2. That impacts systemic drivers like soil, moisture, nutrient, biomass and biodiversity. That leads to more crises in food, fodder and water.
3. India may be annually losing Rs.3.75 trillion by all this.

• Commons becoming uncommon : How can any State keep people away from these resources? CBD is not about that.
• Impact of migration : "Commons" now give livelihood opportunities for both urban and peri-urban people, and not just rural ones.
• Future : Rate of biodiversity loss is not reducing.

1. We should re-introduce the management and governance principles of "Commons" into conservation processes,
2. Put resource management in the hands of people,
3. Use Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom's principles of "Commons" management.

• Summary : The CBD summit 2018 once again highlighted the rapid loss of "Commons" worldwide, and the need for improving management of these resources.

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