Running a Conservation Campaign

Shekar Dattatri
Kudremukh -- peace restored
Giri Cavale
Banning mining in Kudremukh National Park was a hard fought conservation battle

Determining the legal status of the problem

  • Figure out what laws, if any, are being/or may be violated.
  • Does the problem come under the purview of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the Forest Conservation Act or the Environment Protection Act?
  • If you need information that is not available in the public domain, you can file an RTI application with the relevant government department.(Click here for information on how to file an RTI application)

Preparing a report

  • Once you’ve gathered all the basic facts, write a short report of your findings, including a chronology of key events, outlining the problem and its possible solutions (maximum of 3–4 pages) Click here for a sample report.
  • Include clear photographs and accurate maps.
  • If you can suggest viable alternatives to what you are opposing, it will improve your chances of success. However this may not always be possible.
  • If possible, prepare a Power Point presentation as well (maximum of 15 slides). It is crucial that your presentation sticks to the point (rehearse your presentation before you present it to someone important).
  • Always conclude the report/powerpoint/letter with a clear and precise numbered list of what actions you are seeking.

There are several important benefits to preparing a report and a power point presentation, chief among them being that these allow one to gain more clarity, and thus put forward a convincing argument.

Campaigning

There are no hard and fast rules about the sequence in which a campaign should be conducted.  Should you tip off the media as soon as you discover a problem and hope that they come up with useful news stories?  Or should you meet officials first and try to solve the problem that way? These are matters on which you have to exercise your judgment or get advice from experienced campaigners.  However, in every campaign, certain steps are essential and we’ve listed them here in no particular order.

  • Send a copy of your report on the problem with a succinct covering letter to the correct government authority that has the power to act. (writing to the Prime Minister about tree felling in a forest or to the Chief Minister about cattle grazing in a wildlife reserve is unlikely to serve any purpose. The correct authority in such cases may the the Wildlife Warden of the area, the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State or the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests). Click here for a sample letter to a government official).
  • Photocopy relevant press reports, if any, and enclose them as annexures.  It is best to send all correspondence by Registered Post, Acknowledgment Due.
  • If this letter does not produce any results, scale up your effort and try to meet the concerned official in person. When attempting to meet officials, always remember that you are doing something in the public interest and that as public servants they are duty bound to meet you and give you a reasonable hearing.  Do not feel that you are imposing or intruding upon their time.
  • During the meeting, be polite but firm and present your facts without getting too emotional.   Not all government officials are welcoming, receptive or patient and it can test all your resolve in dealing with them. If you feel that you are not capable of staying calm and collected when dealing with a government official, it is important to identify someone from your group who is, and take that person along to present the case.  Shouting at officials will not produce the desired results. Always have a clear sense of your own strengths and weaknesses.
  • It is very important to make a note of the time, date, place, correct name and designation of the officer you met, as this will be very useful when you proceed further with your campaign.
  • If you succeed in meeting the concerned officer, follow it up with a letter outlining the matters discussed during the meeting. Send the letter by Registered A.D. or hand-deliver it to the office.  If you hand over the letter to the officer, ensure that you get an acknowledgement on a photocopy of the letter with the office seal and date.  It may be more appropriate to talk to the PA/Office manager to get this acknowledgement.
  • If this meeting does not produce the desired results, see if you can take up the matter with someone higher up in the government hierarchy, perhaps the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests or the Chief Secretary of your state.
  • If this too fails, you could circulate a News Release to the media or hold a press conference to present your case. If you have contacts in the media, you can present your research to them and see if they are willing to cover it in their newspaper, magazine or TV Channel (Click here for a sample press note). If they do, the issue will gain prominence and come to the notice of not just decision makers in government but also the general public.
  • Even better, if you can garner the support of several other people, hold a public meeting /demonstration in a prominent place and invite the press. Public demonstrations, even with just 50–100 people, can be very effective, but may need police permission. Since this is your constitutional right, permission is usually granted for peaceful protests.  Make sure you have good placards with clear demands for the protestors to hold.  If you apprehend danger from opponents, ensure that you have police protection. Talk to experienced activists in your area and learn how to organize a peaceful protest.
  • If you can get prominent public persons of repute to support your cause, try by all means to get them involved.

Going to court

If all else fails, get good legal opinion and file a petition in the local court of the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) & Civil Judge.  You can even initiate a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the form of a Writ Petition before the High Court. However, litigation and court cases are time consuming, require a great deal of perseverance and patience and can potentially cost a lot of money.  Also be aware that not only is there no guarantee that the case will be decided in your favour, it may even be decided against your cause, and you may have to go on appeal, which is another long and arduous process. All this is not to say that you should not go to court but to caution you to use this option sparingly and after carefully calculating your odds.

Approaching the CEC

If you have accurate information that there is a violation of a Supreme Court order in a particular conservation matter, you can write to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court.  An experienced conservation NGO or your lawyer should be able to advise you on this.  You need not be a lawyer – or even have a lawyer – in order to approach the CEC.  Your letter to them can be in plain English and does not have to be filled with legal jargon.

(Visited 331 times, 1 visits today)

About the author

Read more

Shekar Dattatri is a Chennai-based wildlife and conservation filmmaker.


Comments

Leave a Reply