Religion and Biodiversity Conservation

 

Religion and biodiversity conservation goes hand in hand from time immemorial. When the environment was at the stake of losing its diversity, religion came to the rescue. During the time of our forefathers, when someone got bedridden with a certain illness, the shaman said he/ she was suffering from a certain illness because of the wrath of the forest deity or that he/she had peed/done dirty on the tree/place of the deity. The scientific world runs on evidence-based arguments, but we cannot deny the fact that religion had helped shape the mentality, laws, and policies related to environmental conservation. Bhutan is known as the champion in environmental conservation in the world. Most of Bhutan’s policies and laws are shaped by the values of Buddhism. Solid Waste Management (SWM) is one of the prevalent environmental issues in Bhutan. The government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and religious body are working closely to solve the issue of waste in the country. With technological advancement and economic development, the environment is getting exploited at a faster rate and the role to conserve the environment falls in the hand of science and religion. Science and religion have to work hand in hand to raise awareness and develop a technique to enhance public health and environmental conservation.

The world’s natural resources are getting exploited as economic activities are taking place at a rapid pace. Around 4.5 billion people follow four major religion of the world: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. This major world religion places the sacredness of the natural environment and they believe that nature and animal have to coexist. Lack of civic sense and frequent disposal of waste along riverbanks, roadsides and landfill has become a damning problem with less landfill. The toxins that leach from improper disposal of waste affect the health of plants, humans and animals. It may also lead to the blockage of drains which promotes the breeding of flies and may lead to the spread of deadly epidemic diseases. The mismanagement of waste can hurt human health, especially on people living in the poorer section of society. Although most societies and communities are guided by religion’s view on the environment and the government’s theoretical laws and regulations regarding waste management, the generation of waste is increasing. When science and religion join hands together, society will benefit at large.

Bhutan is largely a Buddhist nation and Buddhism’s strong belief shapes the nation. Everyone in Bhutan talks about how the management of solid waste is becoming problematic for public health and the environment in general. During the auspicious day and local festivals, the monastery or holy places are filled with plastic waste because most of the devotee prefer to offer plastic-wrapped junks in alter. It is not a problem to offer with love, but the real problem comes when the wrappers are thrown away after consumption. Most of the monasteries are located an hour walk from the nearest road and waste collecting vehicles hardly reach the place. The waste is collected in waste bins but it gets filled up within a day during auspicious days. The waste either gets blown away by wind or they are dumped in the nearby forest. Waste in name of religious offering is increasing in Bhutan. The possible solution to the problem can be the involvement of religious bodies in spreading knowledge regarding waste segregation and management. Most people cannot separate garbage. A study conducted in Thailand in November 2017 shows a wonderful outcome. The monks helped the waste management system by giving discourses, related to Buddha and connecting how he managed his waste, segregating waste and keeping surrounding clean to concentrate well while mediating, helping the waste management unit to keep the environment clean, waste knowledge and 3 Rs (Reduce, reuse and recycle), and to offer home-made offerings that involve zero plastic. It was found that people were practising waste management and their offerings were plastic-free. The same is being done in Bhutan as instructed by His Holiness the Je Khenpo. In many religious gatherings, His Holiness announced that managing their waste and proved effective as many elders followed it.

Waste Prevention and Management Act of Bhutan 2009 gives the right to every individual to a safe and healthy environment, but it also places the corresponding duty to protect and promote environmental well-being. Clause 10 of the Act also states that a person found polluting the environment (or causing ecological harm) shall be responsible for the cost of restoration. The Royal Government does penalize business firms but they are failing to penalize the public at an individual level (as the waste we see in and around the environment is thrown by individual) and the government should seriously look into the matter. The Act suggests avoiding, eliminating or substituting, reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering, treating and disposing of the waste properly. It is quite clear that if every individual manages their waste, the Royal Government’s aim to become ‘zero waste’ by 2030 would be achieved. For this to happen, religion (Buddhism and Hinduism in respect to Bhutan) can play a huge role. People that are devoted to their religion work wonderfully and manage better if religion’s head proclaims or preach that proper management of waste is part of the religion they follow. Clause 19 of the Act makes every person segregate, reduce, reuse and recycle waste and avoid littering, and government should set certain norms to be followed to make it work. Humans may not know how much flora and fauna life has been lost due to mismanagement of waste, as there is no study conducted on this particular subject so far. Shri Satpal Maharaj, the man who leads the social-charitable-spiritual organization “Manav Ytthan Sewa Samitti’ in India, always makes a point to address waste and environment-related issues in his discourse (which is viewed by millions of people around the globe). Mentioning such an issue resulted in more responsible waste management among his followers. This proves that religion can play a huge role in addressing the problem of waste. The medicinal plants that are abundant in nature were able to treat people in ancient civilization (it is still in practice).

Waste is increasing with changing times and governments are having a tough time managing the waste in an environmentally sound manner. The world is digging for ways to manage waste properly but they only face disappointment. If science, religion and government work together, then around half of the problem of waste management would be solved as religion is the only factor that units the society. There are numerable examples where religion helped in the reduction of waste in society. Religion is also successful in the conservation of biodiversity for millions of years. When the environment was at the stack of losing its diversity of life, religion came in to save. Will the diversity of life sustain, with help of religion, with rapid economic development? The growing industry of herbal industry is extracting medicinal plant excessively which will result in loss of the ecosystem. We cannot deny that religion is a large institution and it has a huge role to play in the conservation of biodiversity. Most environmentalist, conservationist, and people dealing with waste have a say that someone’s waste always becomes someone’s resources. The findings from the scientific community are proving helpful in conservation of the natural environment and improving public health, whereas most of the society’s mentality is shaped by religious dogmas and philosophy Care for the environment should come from wisdom, not knowledge.