This book is a call to decentralise wildlife management in the country.
“Wardens in Shackles” is the second offering, after the “Road To Nowhere”, in a trilogy planned by the author on Wildlife Conservation in India. While the “Road To Nowhere” critiqued the founding philosophy of wildlife conservation in India, “Wardens in Shackles,” now challenges the way conservation is done and administered in the country.
Modern wildlife conservation in India was originally conceived as a partnership between the Centre and the States. But, the relationship has gradually deteriorated into a boss-subordinate framework where the States have to seek Central permissions for even the smallest interventions on the ground. State officials can even go to jail for non-compliance with Central diktats. As the states struggle to comply with Central directives, rather than doing something original, creative wildlife management has come to a virtual standstill in the country. And, if a creative...