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Collaborative Conservation: Tools, Institutions, and Community
or that policymakers can act on”. Despite a “fear of being seen as advocates”,
Arghya contends that in today’s context, scientists must assume dual roles: both
“interpreters and advocates for evidence of science”.
Anchoring science in relevant, actionable contexts is paramount for shifting sys
tems. Arghya emphasizes that what has helped him in this endeavor is “working
closely with communities”. This involves actively “translating findings into local
ideas and co-creating interventions rather than presenting top-down recom
mendations”. The core principle is clear: “Science must be made relevant, not
just accurate. If we want to shift systems”. This stance transforms scientific en
deavor from a passive pursuit of truth into an active, engaged force for societal
transformation, directly addressing the urgency of ecological crises.
“Science has to be made relevant, not just accurate. If we
want to shift systems.”
Effective conservation, Arghya demonstrates, hinges on a sophisticated blend
of knowledge systems and collaborative tools. In his fieldwork, he relies on a
powerful combination of “traditional ecological knowledge, direct observation,
and modern technologies”, each bringing unique strengths to biodiversity track
ing and analysis. Among the most potent modern instruments are “remote sens
ing and GIS mapping”, crucial for monitoring landscape-level changes in “habitat
extent, fragmentation” and “hydrology” in remote areas like Chandra Taal. He
also utilizes advanced techniques such as “camera traps and bioacoustic sen
sors” and “Environmental DNA (eDNA)”, an “emerging tool that can detect spe
cies from soil or water samples, offering a rapid and cost-effective way to assess
biodiversity”.
However, technology alone is insufficient without human partnership. Arghya
champions “community-based monitoring” as “an essential tool”. Engaging local
“wetland mitras, volunteers, forest watchers, or village youth taps into invalu
able knowledge and multiplies the scale of data collection”. This approach also
fundamentally “empower[s] stakeholders” and grants “more power to citizen
science”. Expanding these diverse tools across India demands “more capacity
building, open access platforms for data sharing and the integration of tradition
al knowledge systems”. Institutions must foster “partnerships among academia,
government, and civil society to co-design monitoring programs that are both
scientifically robust and locally relevant”. This hybrid approach ensures data is
“both reliable and actionable for conservation and policy interventions”.