'Money and resources have to be provided': Dr Mathur on achieving 30x30 target in Bangladesh

Dr Vinod B Mathur, the former chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) of India, recently came to Bangladesh and delivered a keynote speech on the first of the two-day Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Training Programme, organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

In his speech, Dr Mathur described Target 3, colloquially known as 30x30, which calls for 30% of the earth's land and sea to be conserved through the establishment of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM).

While this is a relatively new concept for the conservationists and others working in the country's environment sectors, Dr Mathur in his lively discussion broke down the long and short of it, distinguishing between protected areas, conserved areas and OECM, as well as borrowing from the prior instances of similar projects in his native country, India. 

The biodiversity expert, who served 33 years at the prestigious Wildlife Institute of India including as the dean (2005-2014) and subsequently as the director (2014-2019), also sat with The Business Standard to discuss further on different aspects of his speech.  

Why do you think 30x30 is important for a country like Bangladesh?

30x30 is important for all countries. Because when we talk of conservation, every country needs to protect its species and ecosystem. Of course, every country has distinct characteristics. Bangladesh, India and Bhutan have many dissimilarities between them. But when we take conservation into consideration, we need to see the bigger picture and consider the entire world. 

All things from climate to deserts to biodiversity, operate equally in all countries. So, it is not like the target is only for Bangladesh. Having said that, Bangladesh, as a country, has to contribute to the conservation of species. 

But you have always maintained that conservation versus development is a big issue, and called for striking a balance between the two. From that perspective, doesn't Bangladesh being a developing country put itself in a different bracket as compared to the developed countries?

That is a different argument. What we are asking as developing countries like Bangladesh or India is that, when we talk of conservation we also need to be provided with resources, as well as alternatives. 

In both Bangladesh and India, people go and collect firewood from the forests. Unless you provide an alternative to that, how could you ensure that there would be no tree cuttings? But when it comes to developed countries, they have already established – or have access to – the alternatives. Not just about the example I have just mentioned, but about many other things going into people's daily lives over there. 

That is where the biggest difference lies between developing countries and developed countries. And that's why we are constantly putting emphasis on the fact that money and resources have to be provided. Also, we need to be provided with technology. Otherwise, it would become impossible for the goals, milestones and targets to be accomplished. 

It seems like finance is a major concern towards fulfilling Target 3. Even in your keynote speech, you have talked extensively regarding the necessity and appropriateness of funding. Can you elaborate on that?

See, as I said [in my speech], nothing in life moves without money. You and I, in our daily lives, need money for everything. The same is required for conservation. I would now like to say three more things about money. 

First of all, adequacy. Suppose I need Tk10, and you give me Tk3. Now, you can definitely claim that you have given me money. But I needed Tk10, and you gave me only Tk3. So what's the use of that Tk3?

This is the same issue we are facing while pursuing this project. Adequacy, in spite of being a very important aspect, is not being maintained. 

Another thing is timeliness. I need Tk10 today. But you say, "I will give you Tk10 after three months." So, the requirement of timeliness is also not being fulfilled. 

And lastly, I am concerned about the appropriateness. I need Tk10 to spend on x, y, z. You, as a donor, promise to provide me Tk10 within a month, but then you add a condition, "You can spend the money for a, b, c only." 

So, these are the three ways we face trouble with proper funding as we proceed with conservation projects. 

[It should be noted that Dr Mathur in a July 2022 interview with IndiaSpend mentioned that India needed $16.5 billion for biodiversity conservation between 2017-2022, but all they had was $10 billion.]

You mentioned in your speech that Bangladesh has a combined protected and conserved area of around 12%. In order to fulfil Target 3, we must move to 30% including the OECM by 2030. But that seems like a daunting task at the moment. Do you really believe it's possible for Bangladesh to reach its goal?

See, it will not happen overnight. It never can. Let's not be over-ambitious. But even if you move from 12% to 13%, 14% or 15%, I mean every single percentage towards the ultimate goal, will help conservation. Keeping that in mind, we have to keep going forward with all our resources.

In your presentation, you also specifically mentioned the importance of inclusivity of gender and youth. What did you try to imply with that statement?

It is certain that women are the most affected quarter of the population, especially in countries like Bangladesh and India, when the environment gets degraded. 

In countries like ours, many women have to walk three-four kilometres just to fetch drinking water or collect firewood. But if water depletes or trees are all cut down nearby, they have to walk five-six kilometres instead. 

This is why we always have to think about women as we attempt conservation. If I talk about Bangladesh, I think we need to take special measures to help women, to save them from all their miseries. 

And we must not forget about the youth either. In this region of the world, the youth population is quite big. In fact, we have the world's largest youth population in India. And these youth are the future. 

So, if you don't train the youth, if you don't sensitise them, how will they know about conservation? And then, what will happen to our environment when the future becomes the present?

You discussed the roles individuals, communities and industries can play in establishing OECM. But what roles can politicians play in this regard?

Definitely, they have a huge responsibility. They must support conservation, and that's not just for political purposes but for the greater good of the nation and the world. 

Luckily, we have Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh who have raised their voice in favour of the 30X30 coalition. We need such support from politicians of all quarters. Otherwise, we won't be able to go forward with our goals and visions.