Book Review

In this concise, well-written book, the author sets himself the task of explaining the paradoxes inherent in "ecological India"—including the coexistence of over a billion people with a rich and varied biodiversity that includes the famous lions and elephants scattered over a peninsula, much of which is forest, scrub, and grassland. The environmental history of India has been a popular topic in the last decade, with approaches that vary dramatically depending on disciplinary, political, and social perspective and with tones varying from dry to strident. This book is a short but useful contribution to this field.	1
Adopting a chronological perspective, Rangarajan conducts a lightning tour starting in prehistoric times and working up through Mugal India and British occupation, to Indira Ghandi and modern India. In ten brief chapters he weaves archaeology, anecdote, and the written record. He identifies two watersheds marking changing relations between people and wildlife: the impact of the British, and the creation of a legal and governmental apparatus to administer large areas of forest. He adopts a moderate tone, pointing out some areas of controversy and offering a brief glimpse of differing points of view on such contentious topics as the role of traditional peoples in conservation, the influence of the British, and the impact of "Project Tiger."	2
The history of India in many ways is the history of ecological India. Humans and wildlife have led intermingled lives for millennia. Nowhere was this made more clear than in the dual relationship between forest ecosystems and people. On the one hand, the word "vana" or forest was only given "to lands where pleasure gave way to hardship," whereas on the other hand, ancient poets wrote of honey-scented groves and lotus ponds in full bloom (p. 1). This volume concentrates on forests as sources of wildlife, both for direct use as live animals as well as for use as food and trophies. It is this latter use of wildlife that takes center stage for much of this book.	3
Displaying trophies of the hunt is an integral part of many human cultures. Hunting was a part of statecraft in India long before the arrival of the British, which involved displaying power, gathering intelligence, and receiving tribute, as well as, of course, killing many tigers, lions, antelope, and birds. The royal hunt became an essential part of every ruler's repertoire and was embraced wholeheartedly by the British when they arrived. A sense of conservation was rarely part of this hunt, though in some places, at some times, hunting areas were established to limit off-take. The land set aside for such hunts, which often became incorporated into areas set aside as forest reserves, became the national parks declared with pride by the new Indian state. These parks, with their legacy of British-instituted draconian resource control rules, set the stage for ongoing controversies concerning parks, wildlife, and local peoples.	4
The great paradox of ecological India is how a country so densely populated with humans continues to support such a plethora of large wildlife. But it does, with Indian populations of tigers, elephants, Asian lions, and other large wildlife being some of the best in all of Asia. This book does a good job in exploring this paradox with a fine balanced hand.	5
Reviewed by Kent H. Redford, vice president for conservation strategy at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based in New York. His interests include traditional peoples and conservation, wildlife use, protected area history and implementation, and conservation strategies.

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