Costs of Biodiversity Restoration: A Case Study of Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Abstract

The continued expansion of the human population and the growth of per capita consumption has resulted in an unsustainable exploitation of the biological diversity present on Earth. Effective strategies of conservation are vital to the survival of the human species. Safeguarding the biodiversity habitats including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and biosphere reserves plays a crucial role here. Successful approaches of conservation require adequate investment directed towards restoring these areas. On the contrary, these protected areas are at various stages of degradation due to several anthropogenic pressures. This presents a conundrum wherein the twin goals of any society conflict with each other. Prioritisation of economic growth would compromise environmental conservation and vice versa. The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is one such example of a protected area. Tremendous anthropogenic pressure over the years in the form of increasing development activities and pollution discharge in the wetland has led a decline in the number of the bird species. In this study, we conduct an opportunity cost analysis of restricting the activities that are posing threat to the wetland and the sanctuary. GIS based tools are employed to demarcate an eco-sensitive zone around the sanctuary within which major development projects are prohibited. The future revenue stream for the services forgone is discounted and calculated along with the estimated market value of the land in the no-development zone to arrive at the opportunity cost. 

The study found out an opportunity cost of INR 5,192 crores at 2020 prices. A monetary valuation of restoring ecosystem services serves as a guide to policymakers to find a win-win solution to the development versus environment puzzle. A sustainable future requires a wider lens to not view this issue as a zero-sum game rather follow an integrated approach incorporating the precautionary principle.