Eco-cosmologies of indigenous communities which regard the world of humans and the world of natur... more Eco-cosmologies of indigenous communities which regard the world of humans and the world of nature as closely related to each other, and rites and rituals based on such belief systems are important for the conservation of nature. The objective of this paper is to examine how the culture, particularly the cosmologies and religious beliefs of a indigenous tribal group-the Karbis living near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India have insinuations for the conservation of natural resources. Based on fieldwork conducted in two Karbi villages, one still adhering to the traditional religion with a deep seated reverence for nature and all life forms, and the other which has converted to a new religion, the paper throws light on the changes and challenges to the indigenous ecological ethos in the present context.
The Kalandar community of South Asia has performed with dancing sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) si... more The Kalandar community of South Asia has performed with dancing sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) since the late Vedic era (1000-700 BCE). This illegal profession negatively impacts wild populations because cubs are poached to fuel it. It also raises serious welfare issues for the bears. Poor enforcement, a lack of adequate facilities for confiscated bears, and sustainable alternative sources of revenue for the bears' owners have allowed it to continue. Since the late 1990s, a number of wildlife organizations have focused on this issue. Despite recent claims that it had been eradicated in India, a thorough assessment of its current status was lacking. We report on a 2010 nationwide survey of dancing bears in India and show that, despite significant achievement in reducing the number of bears involved, the practice is still prevalent, typically in rural, remote, or inaccessible areas (in at least 7 states across India). Therefore, it remains a conservation and animal welfare issue that needs to be addressed.
In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Loc... more In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefit-sharing regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open, but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such regimes...
In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Loc... more In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefitsharing regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open, but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such regimes are reconciling the imperatives of a neo-liberal economy with providing a just and equitable framework for ILCs and TK holders, which is truly participatory and not top-down.
The international and national debates and developments on the applicability of an intellectual p... more The international and national debates and developments on the applicability of an intellectual property rights
regime for protecting traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity is over a decade old. Nevertheless,
this continues to be an area fraught with difficulties for many reasons, such as inherent mismatch between the
nature of intellectual property rights regimes and that of traditional knowledge, lack of an effective
international framework, and alleged lack of will on the part of developed countries. The paper argues that the
possible non-inclusion of traditional knowledge holders in the process and the lack of their practical capacity
is another key reason for non-effectiveness of existing or envisaged legal instruments. It takes the position that
a major lacuna of this discourse is that it is not strongly positioned in the local economic, political, and social
contexts in which local and Indigenous communities find themselves today. Using a field-based case study of
an Indigenous scheduled tribe, the Karbis in the northeastern state of Assam, the paper makes the case for
discarding commonly held, often non-realistic ‘assumptions’ about local and Indigenous communities and
accommodation of their realities and perspectives in enacting ‘rights based’ law and policy on these issues.
Page 1. A scientific approach to understanding and mitigating elephant mortality due to train hit... more Page 1. A scientific approach to understanding and mitigating elephant mortality due to train hits in Assam Ujjal Kumar Sarma, PS Easa and Vivek Menon DEADLY TRACKS OCCASIONAL REPORT NO. 24 Page 2. Wildlife Trust ...
Page 1. LIVING WITH GIANTS Understanding Human-Elephant Conflict In Maharashtra and Adjoining Are... more Page 1. LIVING WITH GIANTS Understanding Human-Elephant Conflict In Maharashtra and Adjoining Areas Ujjal Kumar Sarma and PS Easa An Occasional Report on a Wild Species Project under the Human-Elephant Conflict ...
Eco-cosmologies of indigenous communities which regard the world of humans and the world of natur... more Eco-cosmologies of indigenous communities which regard the world of humans and the world of nature as closely related to each other, and rites and rituals based on such belief systems are important for the conservation of nature. The objective of this paper is to examine how the culture, particularly the cosmologies and religious beliefs of a indigenous tribal group-the Karbis living near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India have insinuations for the conservation of natural resources. Based on fieldwork conducted in two Karbi villages, one still adhering to the traditional religion with a deep seated reverence for nature and all life forms, and the other which has converted to a new religion, the paper throws light on the changes and challenges to the indigenous ecological ethos in the present context.
The Kalandar community of South Asia has performed with dancing sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) si... more The Kalandar community of South Asia has performed with dancing sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) since the late Vedic era (1000-700 BCE). This illegal profession negatively impacts wild populations because cubs are poached to fuel it. It also raises serious welfare issues for the bears. Poor enforcement, a lack of adequate facilities for confiscated bears, and sustainable alternative sources of revenue for the bears' owners have allowed it to continue. Since the late 1990s, a number of wildlife organizations have focused on this issue. Despite recent claims that it had been eradicated in India, a thorough assessment of its current status was lacking. We report on a 2010 nationwide survey of dancing bears in India and show that, despite significant achievement in reducing the number of bears involved, the practice is still prevalent, typically in rural, remote, or inaccessible areas (in at least 7 states across India). Therefore, it remains a conservation and animal welfare issue that needs to be addressed.
In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Loc... more In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefit-sharing regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open, but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such regimes...
In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Loc... more In a neoliberal world, traditional knowledge (TK) of biodiversity possessed by Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefitsharing regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open, but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such regimes are reconciling the imperatives of a neo-liberal economy with providing a just and equitable framework for ILCs and TK holders, which is truly participatory and not top-down.
The international and national debates and developments on the applicability of an intellectual p... more The international and national debates and developments on the applicability of an intellectual property rights
regime for protecting traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity is over a decade old. Nevertheless,
this continues to be an area fraught with difficulties for many reasons, such as inherent mismatch between the
nature of intellectual property rights regimes and that of traditional knowledge, lack of an effective
international framework, and alleged lack of will on the part of developed countries. The paper argues that the
possible non-inclusion of traditional knowledge holders in the process and the lack of their practical capacity
is another key reason for non-effectiveness of existing or envisaged legal instruments. It takes the position that
a major lacuna of this discourse is that it is not strongly positioned in the local economic, political, and social
contexts in which local and Indigenous communities find themselves today. Using a field-based case study of
an Indigenous scheduled tribe, the Karbis in the northeastern state of Assam, the paper makes the case for
discarding commonly held, often non-realistic ‘assumptions’ about local and Indigenous communities and
accommodation of their realities and perspectives in enacting ‘rights based’ law and policy on these issues.
Page 1. A scientific approach to understanding and mitigating elephant mortality due to train hit... more Page 1. A scientific approach to understanding and mitigating elephant mortality due to train hits in Assam Ujjal Kumar Sarma, PS Easa and Vivek Menon DEADLY TRACKS OCCASIONAL REPORT NO. 24 Page 2. Wildlife Trust ...
Page 1. LIVING WITH GIANTS Understanding Human-Elephant Conflict In Maharashtra and Adjoining Are... more Page 1. LIVING WITH GIANTS Understanding Human-Elephant Conflict In Maharashtra and Adjoining Areas Ujjal Kumar Sarma and PS Easa An Occasional Report on a Wild Species Project under the Human-Elephant Conflict ...
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Books by Ujjal Sarma
Papers by Ujjal Sarma
Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating
the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefitsharing
regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal
orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries
and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open,
but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and
policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with
biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such
regimes are reconciling the imperatives of a neo-liberal economy with providing a just and equitable
framework for ILCs and TK holders, which is truly participatory and not top-down.
regime for protecting traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity is over a decade old. Nevertheless,
this continues to be an area fraught with difficulties for many reasons, such as inherent mismatch between the
nature of intellectual property rights regimes and that of traditional knowledge, lack of an effective
international framework, and alleged lack of will on the part of developed countries. The paper argues that the
possible non-inclusion of traditional knowledge holders in the process and the lack of their practical capacity
is another key reason for non-effectiveness of existing or envisaged legal instruments. It takes the position that
a major lacuna of this discourse is that it is not strongly positioned in the local economic, political, and social
contexts in which local and Indigenous communities find themselves today. Using a field-based case study of
an Indigenous scheduled tribe, the Karbis in the northeastern state of Assam, the paper makes the case for
discarding commonly held, often non-realistic ‘assumptions’ about local and Indigenous communities and
accommodation of their realities and perspectives in enacting ‘rights based’ law and policy on these issues.
Communities (ILCs) in the global South has become a valuable "commodity" or "bio-resource," necessitating
the setting up of harmonized ground rules (international and national) in the form of an access and benefitsharing
regime to facilitate its exchange in the world market. Despite criticisms that a regime with a neo-liberal
orientation is antithetical to the normative ethos of ILCs, it could also offer a chance for developing countries
and ILCs to generate revenue for socioeconomic development—to which they are gradually becoming open,
but only under fair and equitable terms. Based on this context, this article proposes to look into the legal and
policy frameworks and institutional regimes governing access and benefit sharing of TK associated with
biological resources in two countries of South Asia: India and Bhutan. The article seeks to examine how such
regimes are reconciling the imperatives of a neo-liberal economy with providing a just and equitable
framework for ILCs and TK holders, which is truly participatory and not top-down.
regime for protecting traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity is over a decade old. Nevertheless,
this continues to be an area fraught with difficulties for many reasons, such as inherent mismatch between the
nature of intellectual property rights regimes and that of traditional knowledge, lack of an effective
international framework, and alleged lack of will on the part of developed countries. The paper argues that the
possible non-inclusion of traditional knowledge holders in the process and the lack of their practical capacity
is another key reason for non-effectiveness of existing or envisaged legal instruments. It takes the position that
a major lacuna of this discourse is that it is not strongly positioned in the local economic, political, and social
contexts in which local and Indigenous communities find themselves today. Using a field-based case study of
an Indigenous scheduled tribe, the Karbis in the northeastern state of Assam, the paper makes the case for
discarding commonly held, often non-realistic ‘assumptions’ about local and Indigenous communities and
accommodation of their realities and perspectives in enacting ‘rights based’ law and policy on these issues.