Declaration on Nature Ethic of Conservation Population the forgotten factor Population development and environment

I was brought up in one of the most beautiful natural environments anywhere in the world – the valley of Kashmir. Subsequently I was involved as the Chairman of the Indian Board for Wildlife, as well as the Project Tiger Steering Committee, one of the most successful conservation projects anywhere in the world. I now head the Peoples Commission on Environment & Development (India), which holds public hearings around the country, reports of which are regularly published. I am also a Trustee of the Green Cross International.

Population control is an essential input into the environmental challenge. India’s population is now around one billion, and we are adding the equivalent of one Australia (about 20 million) each year. Unless this trend is reversed it will be virtually impossible to save our already gravely threatened environment. Having been Minister for Health and Family Planning, and author of the National Population Policy, back in 1976, I have been distressed at the lack of political will in India to bring the population growth under control.