Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal 1 (1): 81–82, April 2018 

 
CONVERSATIONS 2: Forest Conservation 

 

Editorial Note 
 

Vikram Dayal 

 

 
Ullas Karanth and Asmita Kabra both agree about the importance of 
research based conservation. However, as is apparent from their 
conversation about people and conservation, different research 
communities or researchers may take different positions—informed by 
research—on issues. 

Karanth and Kabra recognize the moral claims of nature and species on the 
one hand, and people on the other, but still disagree. Karanth stresses the 
specific goal of the conservation of endangered wild species. 

Kabra criticizes the attempt to maintain ‘pristine’ environments, but 
Karanth emphasizes natural environments of sufficient size—distinct from 
‘pristine’ environments—which are very different from highly managed 
areas with high levels of human activity. Kabra, on the other hand, 
emphasizes the difference between vulnerable people—who suffer when 
they lose access to natural landscapes—and the economically richer 
members of Homo sapiens that Karanth is talking about. 

Karanth talks about the history of Homo sapiens on an evolutionary time 
scale and associated mass extinctions, whereas Kabra discusses instances 
where human activity of a limited extent, like managed grazing, can be 
useful for conservation goals. Kabra too points out that Homo sapiens has 
altered every landscape—nothing is ‘pristine’, not even areas rich in 
wildlife—and yet, excluding vulnerable people may have harmful side 
effects. 

 
 Coordinator for this Conversations section. Institute of Economic Growth, University 
Enclave, New Delhi, North Delhi, Delhi, 110007, vikday@iegindia.org 

Copyright © Dayal 2018. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 
4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) by the author.  

Published by Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), c/o Institute of Economic 
Growth, University Enclave, North Campus, Delhi 110007.  

ISSN: 2581-6152 (print); 2581-6101 (web). 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v1i1.19  

https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v1i1.19


Ecology, Economy and Society– the INSEE Journal [82] 

Kabra takes issue with Robinson’s ‘sustainable landscape’ approach, which 
Karanth advocates. Karanth has issues with the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 
but Kabra does not specifically mention it. 

Perhaps readers of the journal can look forward to a conversation on the 
FRA.