Question.
Perception, Attitude, Values, and Emotion ( PAVE) are important components for biodiversity and sustainable environment conservation. Elaborate.
( UPSC 2024 Geography Optional Paper 1)
Answer.
Environmental conservation is deeply rooted in human behavior and ethics. The PAVE framework—Perception, Attitude, Values, and Emotion—plays a vital role in shaping how individuals and communities interact with biodiversity and the environment. Understanding these human dimensions is essential for promoting sustainable conservation practices.
1. Perception:
Perception refers to the way individuals interpret and understand environmental problems based on their experiences, education, media exposure, and cultural background.
Examples:
1. Vedic Perception of Nature: In ancient Indian texts like the Rigveda, rivers, trees, and mountains were revered as deities (e.g., Saraswati, Aranyani). This symbolic perception cultivated respect for natural elements.
2. Traditional Agriculture: Farmers in India historically aligned sowing and harvesting with lunar and solar cycles, perceiving nature as a living system to harmonize with, not dominate.
3. Wetland Perception: The Loktak Lake in Manipur is traditionally seen as sacred by local communities. Their perception as a life-giving entity prevents overexploitation.
2. Attitude:
Attitudes are mental positions or feelings that influence an individual’s response to environmental issues.
Types of Attitudes:
Positive: Support for afforestation, eco-friendly products, or wildlife protection.
Negative: Apathy toward pollution, indifference to habitat loss.
Examples:
1. Chipko Movement (1973): Villagers in Uttarakhand, led by women like Gaura Devi, hugged trees to prevent their felling, showing a deeply positive, emotional, and protective attitude toward forests.
2. Bishnoi Community (Rajasthan): The Bishnois have a 500-year-old tradition of protecting wildlife and trees, even at personal cost (e.g., the Khejarli Massacre, 1730).
3. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: A recent mass movement that has influenced urban and rural attitudes toward sanitation and waste, encouraging environmentally responsible behavior.
3. Values:
Values are long-term beliefs about what is important or desirable in life, like sustainability, justice, and intergenerational equity.
Types of Environmental Values:
Ecocentric: Nature has intrinsic value; promotes preservation.
Anthropocentric: Nature is a resource for human needs.
Examples:
1. Sacred Groves (Devrai): Found in states like Maharashtra, Kerala, and Meghalaya, these are forest patches protected for religious reasons, reflecting ecocentric values.
2. Jainism & Ahimsa: Jain philosophy advocates non-violence toward all living beings, nurturing deep ecological values.
3. Gandhian Environmental Ethics: Mahatma Gandhi believed in minimal consumption and harmony with nature: “The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed.”
4. Emotion:
Emotion refers to feelings such as empathy, awe, guilt, or anger that influence behavior.
Examples:
1. Narmada Bachao Andolan: Led by Medha Patkar, this movement stirred emotional connections to rivers and tribal lands, mobilizing support against dam construction.
2. Community Festivals: Celebrations like Van Mahotsav encourage emotional reverence toward trees and plants through communal participation in afforestation.
Integration of PAVE in Indian Environmental Policies:
1. Environmental Education: The NCERT curriculum integrates values from Indian culture—e.g., "Prakriti Raksha hi Dharma hai."
2. Community Participation: Joint Forest Management (JFM) uses traditional local knowledge and emotional ownership to protect forests.
3. Media & Campaigns: Films like Kaal and Kadvi Hawa, and campaigns like Save Ganga, leverage emotion and public perception to promote awareness.
4. Government Scheme: Programs like Ujjwala Yojana (clean cooking fuel) encourage behavioral shifts in rural households.
Conclusion
Conservation is not just a scientific or political activity—it is also a human-centric process shaped by Perception, Attitude, Values, and Emotion (PAVE). India’s historical, cultural, and spiritual traditions offer rich resources to reinforce these components. A culturally-rooted, psychologically-aware environmental strategy is essential to ensure long-term, sustainable conservation of biodiversity.
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