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In twenty-first century India, characterised by economic reforms and increased global demand for natural resources and minerals, the environment, primary resources, biodiversity and wilderness have come under unprecedented stress. In this context, Nature Conservation in the New Economy presents studies of conservation efforts after economic liberalisation, and the institutional, legal, scientific, political and social constraints in meeting conservation goals. Building on sustained case research across India, the chapters in this book examine conservation policies in diverse contexts, such as the Wildlife Protection Act in Northeast India; the management of Delhi’s forests; conservation of the Chilgoza pine forests in the Western Himalayas and rainforests in the Jaintia hills, Meghalaya; and forest preservation in the Western Ghats. Nature Conservation in the New Economy also explores laws and regulatory policies on species reintroduction, coastal conservation and wetland management in India. The book argues that apart from the increased stress on natural resources and habitats, economic liberalisation has also led to conservation efforts becoming more enterprise-oriented. The authors study the relationship between wildlife conservation and local people; institutions and social change; and the role of science in conservation.

Contents: Introduction/Ghazala Shahabuddin and K. Sivaramakrishnan. 1. Hunting in Northeast India and the Challenges of Implementing the Wildlife Protection Act/Ambika Aiyadurai. 2. Conservation in Urban Spaces: People–Wildlife Interactions and Management of Delhi’s Forests/M. Vikas. 3. Rewilding with the Asiatic Cheetah: Policy and Politics of Wildlife Reintroduction in India/Ghazala Shahabuddin. 4. Threats to Coexistence of Humans and Forests in Central India/Meghna Agarwala, Ruth DeFries, Y. V. Jhala and Q. Qureshi. 5. Water Under the Bridge: Wetland Use and Abuse in India/Neha Sinha. 6. Is Conservation Impossible? The Case of Coastal Regulation in India/Kanchi Kohli and Manju Menon. 7. Sustainability of Endemic Chilgoza Pine Forests in the Western Himalayas: Habitat Threats and Conservation Exigencies/Rinki Sarkar. 8. Conservation in Times of Development: Forest Change Trajectories in State and Community, Forests of Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya/Rajkamal Goswami and T. Ganesh. 9. Hunting Stories and Shady Tales: The Impact of Legislation on Wildlife Conservation and Tree Preservation in the Western Ghats, India/Archana Bali and Kartik Shanker. Bibliography. Index.