Sustainable Development and Biodiversity: A discourse of contemporary development approach and practices
Abstract:
In sense, over the last two and half decades ‘sustainable development’ has mature from a phrase expressing anxiety for social and environmental evils to a global obsession. The notion supposedly offers cures for the many and assorted harms that bothering contemporary society, and that the reason it engages an integrated approach, the sustainable development trend has resulted much-needed partnership connecting experts from different environments, to work on the difficult dilemmas concerned in the exchanges linking society and environment(FRAZIER, J. G.: 1997). Consequently, the term is rarely defined, and, being elegant and institutionalized, the ‘sustainability movement’ now straights the method much science and policy for natural protection and development are considered, implemented and evaluated. Occult, but essential, in virtually all conversations of sustainable development is the maxim of constant development. On the other hand in maximum cases, as a substitute of contribution a proper explanation to contemporary dilemmas, the term is a source of confusion, contention and even dishonesty. It is imperative that the use of this term, especially in multidisciplinary, international and scientific spheres, be based on clear understanding of its meaning, and that the issue of growth and the concept of limits are clearly incorporated into the core of the discussion (FRAZIER, J. G.: 1997).
Key word: Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Environment, Sustainability, Economic Growth.
A. Introduction:
The issues of sustainable development are the different people embrace different idea on confident methodical concepts or other vicinity of understanding. Those technical attitudes are habitually valued by our positive past experiences or marvelous findings and other enormous innovations. Defiantly we gain some of the paramount acquaintance from practical sciences but it certainly is not the absolute structure of knowledge (P. Alejandro and K.A. Douglas: 1989). Personal discipline strength is the extreme outline of knowledge meanwhile on other side it may slightly involve a confusion of science as entire or awareness. Fundamentally knowledge is the study of the natural world through observation, recognition, explanation, tentative analysis and hypothetical explanations. If we look the lance of sociologist or development anthropologist than it would be found a clear picture of people centered development which are illustrated by the standard of social justice, comprehensiveness and eco-centric development that highly emphasis to local knowledge and local economy and self-sufficiency of the society as well as on the other hand that is that the international development agency or partner’s primary emerging is development by using local resources not their participation or sustainability but for sustainable development it’s very much necessary that people-centered improvement persuade people’s awareness association and encourage participatory conversation building progression for attaining sustainable improvement and biodiversity (Barua 2010, Korten 1990, Rahman 1994)[1]. That this apprehension is no mere product of doomsday advocates has been revealed repeatedly over the last two decades, for example, by an unprecedented joint report, expressed in austere terms, by two august scientific bodies: namely the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences (1992). Even the illustrious weekly Nature has recently found relevance in dedicating space to global policy problems such as the fisheries’ crisis (Masood 1997). In an effort to cure base maladies of contemporary society and our environment, ‘sustainable development’ (together with its countless variants) has been prescribed in ever-stronger doses.
This paper discusses the concept of sustainable development and the enter directions of exploit on the way to constructing a sustainable development path for third world developing countries (LDCs) particularly in Bangladesh. It also recognizes key areas of local, regional and international cooperation in the framework of execution of sustainable development in the country. On the other hand aggregating the contemporary development approaches that how to gain sustainability in prospect of developments on emphasis of social, political, socio-economic specially ecological, as well as empirical findings on the basis of ethnicity by economist and sociologist or development anthropologist after globalization and modernization where biodiversity are absolutely avoiding. On the other hand contemporary approaches in third world developing countries are highly emphasis on their economic growth without considering the nature or ecosystem. So, ultimate result is that several unexpected problems frequently happening such as natural disaster, temperature increases, and sea water level increases. After that we found global warming and losses our sustainability and ecology.
B. Sustainability and its aspect in issue of development:
“Sustainability” and in spin “sustainable development” are situation that mean diverse things to different people, making it complicated to provide a single meaning. The original definition (widely used) of sustainable development was made in the Brunt land Report (Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987) which defined it as: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". To be ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, present and future generation, that’s all about sustainable development. That could be accomplished through the three string of social Equity which recognizes the needs of everyone, maintenance of stable levels of Economic growth and employment, and using natural resources carefully, even as defensive, and if possible enhancing, the Environment (www.ciria.org.uk).
C. Biodiversity and Sustainable Development:
Biodiversity:
“The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth. Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance (http://www.globalissues.org).”
Biodiversity or eco-diversity describes the natural capital held within a region and it refers, predominantly, to the disparity involving livelihood beings at diverse stage of organic organization - genetic material, entity class and ecology (Mukul, S. A. : 2007). The Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) defined biodiversity as: ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including; inter alia, global, marine, and other water ecosystems and the ecological composite of which they are part’. Biodiversity includes multiple values and is vital for the production of food and to conserve the ecological foundations needed to sustain people’s livelihood (Mukul, S. A. (2007). Biodiversity protection is though vital to recover and modify this condition. Biodiversity preservation through environmental sustainability (Goal Number -7) is one of the prime objectives of Millennium Development Goals (Table-1) which strongly linked with its first objective, i.e., eradication of poverty and hunger (Mukul, S. A. : 2007).
Besides, previously discussed, it is very much clear that sustainable development is ‘the development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This includes taking into account the impact of present decisions on the options of future generations. Three goals of sustainable development have been identified which includes; i) economic well being ii) social and human development and iii) ecological sustainability and regeneration (FRAZIER, J. G.: 1997). Because events, concepts and actions do not stand in isolation, the ecosystem approach is an analytical framework that adopts the notion of ecosystem as its guiding principle. This approach is currently used to understand change in human-related activities and environments, such as natural resource management, urban planning and human health. The ecosystem approach is essentially trans-disciplinary, and promotes a holistic view of sustainability. Ecosystem is initially an idea produce tool as a storehouse of interdisciplinary behavior and accomplishments; ecosystem is anticipated for sharing experience and fostering creativity. Students will use ecosystem to select courses based on an accessible and extensive set of information, ranging from detailed outlines to previous exams and course evaluations. It will also associate courses and programs with existing research projects. By providing these linkages and by opening communication channels, ecosystem aims to enhance interactive learning. Researchers will use ecosystem to identify current efforts, avoid duplication, and for developing research. The transfer of paradigms across disciplines may be one of the most interesting potential spin-offs (http://staff.aub.edu.lb).
D. International initiatives for sustainable development:
The inspiration for this undertaking has arisen from the South and Central Asia Regional Roundtable of Eminent Persons on Sustainable Development, held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 30 July-1 August 2001 organized by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as an input into the preparatory process of the 2002 WSSD, which the author attended in his personal capacity. However, before going into Bangladesh perspectives on sustainable development, let us quickly review the background and preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in 2002, given that this roundtable has been convened to help develop Bangladesh perspectives in the context of the Summit. Previously in the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Or the Rio Earth Summit was convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development (http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html). The assembled leaders signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity endorsed the Rio Declaration and the First Principles; and adopted Agenda 21 plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st Century. The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created as the Technical Commission of UN Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, and monitor and report on implementation of the Earth Summit agreements at the local, national, regional and international level. Rio plus 5: Special Session of the General Assembly held in June 1997 adopted a comprehensive programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21. It also adopted the work programme of the CSD for 1997-2002. At its Millennium Summit in 2000, the UN General Assembly agreed to undertake a ten-year review of progress of the implementation of Rio-Summit outcomes. It was also agreed that this review would take place at the Rio+10 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002.
E. International Assistance on Sustainable Development to Bangladesh:
Bangladesh would increase support from bilateral donors and international agencies in various respects regarding the structure and accomplishment of sustainable development. The major extensive areas would embrace development of approaches and reform programmes attached on establishing veracity and cultural dynamics in the country and within the framework of sustainable development by some important indicators such as low level of human capability, low productivity and unfavorable competitiveness, extensive unemployment, narrow export base, deteriorating environment formation of a ‘sustainable development fund’ for undertaking specific research and development as well as innovative action programmes within the framework of sustainable development; human capability and institutional capacity building, both processes designed to suit the realities prevailing in the country; environmental capacity building, specifically for adaptation to climate change; foreign direct investment (FDI) to help accelerate economic growth; technology transfer as appropriate; easy market access for Bangladeshi goods, particularly in developed countries; and management of natural exposures (floods, cyclones and storm surges) that cause rapid poverty and obstruct developmental activities and finding solution to arsenic pollution.
G. Contemporary practices in ‘Sustainable Development’:
It is very important that when government or NGOs or INGOs are initiating a new development project on that time they have to bear in mind on biodiversity or ecology in their development plan. But practices are very different and unrealistic too, thus they have never been considering with nature for their development intervention. Thus contemporary efforts at surroundings and performing sustainable development-reply to the issue of what sustainability means in practice —illustrate technical consensus, ethical consensus as well as moral or physical participation; from those three models of social action (Blake D. Ratner : 2004). The dimensions of the sustainability concept can be considered commensurable by technique, commensurable by a unifying ethic, or never fully commensurable and therefore implicating value conflict. I summarize below how each of these alternatives is represented in programmatic efforts to implementing sustainable development. The examples I present are intended to accentuate the distinctions among these alternate models. My intent is not to argue that actual development practice divides cleanly according to these ideal types, but rather to demonstrate how each of these models vies for legitimacy in practice. For others, the goal is to build a shared ethic that may not eliminate conflict, but which offers a value basis for resolving the conflicts that inevitably arise. Distinguish the “incomparable challenge” in on the rise a sympathetic of the “support of social and ecological morals” like liberty, fairness, community participation, natural integrity, and equilibrium in the human relationship to nature(Blake D. Ratner : 2004).
This kind of understanding is required if the new paradigm of sustainable development is to serve as the basis for significant social change—if it is to help define specific, practical development goals, and provide guidance in the inevitable conflicts that arise when social and ecological obligations are considered together within the same framework of action (Engel: 1990).
In third world developing countries like Bangladesh does not considering ecosystem when they initiated any development project, that’s very much problematic for sustainable development because of most of the project are articulated by govt. or NGOs and their main objectives are only economic growth not sustainable growth as because nature are very much effected by those project like urbanization or economic transformation, infrastructure development, land reform and may more in recent practices.
H. Conclusion:
Such challenges stem not only from theoretical discharges of eco-centric, outlook, but more significantly from the difficulty of contemporary trends and diversity of sustainable development outcomes. Human kind learns from its history and the lessons of present success and failures are absorbed in scholarly analyses government policies and the everyday practice of major social actors (P. Alejandro and K.A. Douglas: 1989) but contemporary practices and development approaches is not considering our biodiversity or natural resources. It has long been feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. Despite increased efforts at conservation, it has not been enough and biodiversity losses continue. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems. Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy environment for sorting, illegal hunting and other challenges are making conservation a struggle. Rapid global warming can affect an ecosystems chance to adapt naturally. The cold is very sensitive to climate change and already seeing lots of changes. Ocean biodiversity is already being affected as are other parts of the ecosystem. The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns. After over all discussion it also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed but ultimate results are very narrow and that could not play any strong role to be established sustainable development (Ahmad, Q. K.: 2001). Because off in the all maximum cases or development projects design and accomplished by those people or organization who has/have no primary concern on ecology or nature that very much problematic. As a result we can not anticipate sustainable development.
Mainly in this paper I am finding the sustainability in development initiatives by political government or NGOs and/or bilateral or multilateral organization’s approaches in development project appraisal and implementation. But results are very much inconvenient as because when they initiated any project that time their hiring local or international consultants are not eco-centered but growth oriented. So, from the beginning they use economist not sociologist or development anthropologies, thus very much problematic in project intervention. It is very much clear that an economist are always finding transformation and economic development on the other hand a development anthropologist or sociologist’s lance of eyes are very much eco-centric, participatory as well as bottom up approaches that are demonstrate sustainable development with considering the nature or biodiversity.
Acknowledgement:
1. Dr. Bijoy Prasad Barua, Associate Professor, Social Science Faculty, East West University, Dhaka.
2. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).
3. Sharif Ahmed Mukul, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, School of Agriculture and Mineral Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh.
4. http://staff.aub.edu.lb
5. http://www.ciria.org.uk/complianceplus/sustainability.htm
6. http://www.globalissues.org
7. http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html
Bibliography:
1. Ahmad, Q. K. (2001): “Perspectives on sustainable development in Bangladesh”, Presented at a Roundtable on Bangladesh Perspectives Toward 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) & Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP), Dhaka, Bangladesh, 4 September 2001.
2. American University of Beirut : http://staff.aub.edu.lb
3. Blake D. Ratner (2004): “Sustainability” as a Dialogue of Values: Challenges to the Sociology of Development. Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 74, No. 1, February 2004, 50–69 © 2004 Alpha Kappa Delta
4. Ciria.org: (http://www.ciria.org.uk/complianceplus/sustainability.htm
5. Engel, J. Ronald (1990): “Introduction: The Ethics of Sustainable Development.” Ethics of Environment and Development, edited by J. R. Engel and J. G. Engel. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
6. Frazoer, J. G. (1997): Sustainable development: modern elixir or sack dress?, Environmental Conservation 24 (2)- 182–193 © 1997 Foundation for Environmental Conservation.
7. Globalissues.org : http://www.globalissues.org
8. Masood, E. (1997): Fisheries science: all at sea when it comes to politics? Nature 386: 105–6.
9. Mukul, S. A. (2007): Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Bangladesh: An overview of the present status, management problems and future prospects; Biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh, March, 2007.
10. United Nation Economic and Social council (ECOSOC): http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html
Appendixes:
Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
| GOAL 1: GOAL 2: GOAL 3: GOAL 4: GOAL 5: GOAL 6: GOAL 7: GOAL 8: | Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Achieve universal primary education. Promote gender equality and empower women. Reduce child mortality. Improve maternal health. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Ensure environmental sustainability. Develop a Global Partnership for Development. |
Table-1: Source-: The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI -2006)
Summarize:
Mainly in this paper I am finding the sustainability in development initiatives by political government or NGOs and/or bilateral or multilateral organization’s approaches in development project appraisal and implementation. But results are very much inconvenient as because when they initiated any project that time their hiring local or international consultants are not eco-centered but growth oriented. So, from the beginning they use economist not sociologist or development anthropologies, thus very much problematic in project intervention. It is very much clear that an economist are always finding transformation and economic development on the other hand a development anthropologist or sociologist’s lance of eyes are very much eco-centric as well as bottom up approaches which are demonstrate sustainable development with considering the nature.
