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An ontological crisis? A review of large felid conservation in India

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Abstract

The need for a solid knowledge base to inform conservation activity is now universally recognised. We critically scrutinised the scientific knowledge of large felids in India located in peer-reviewed research papers to assess the information available to make landscape-level management decisions that aid conservation, which is a stated goal of both the Indian government and the international community. We found two striking patterns: the biological sciences dominate in the published literature, and nearly all the research has been carried out in protected areas, though a substantial number of large felids also live outside protected areas. We argue that these patterns are not incidental, but the result of the dualistic ontology of science that uses processes of ‘purification’ and ‘translation’ to fit complex realities into disciplinary prerogatives organised around creating dichotomies (like nature–culture). In addition, since this body of scientific knowledge locates large felids in ‘pure’ biological landscapes, there is little or no insight from multi-use landscapes. These findings, we believe, highlight important knowledge gaps in our present research-based knowledge of large felids in India, which urgently need to be addressed if progress is to be made in conservation.

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Acknowledgments

Sunetro Ghosal, Vidya Athreya and John Linnell were part of the inter-disciplinary project ‘Wildlife-human interactions: from conflict to coexistence in sustainable landscapes’, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, India and the Research Council of Norway. Sunetro Ghosal was additionally supported by Noragric-ATREE ‘Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in India’ funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, India. We thank Ketil Skogen, Darley Jose Kjosavik, Nicolas Lescureux, William Derman, Espen Sjaastad, Andrei Florin Marin and two anonymous reviewers for commenting on earlier drafts of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Environment and Development (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Ås (Aas), Norway

    Sunetro Ghosal & Pål Olav Vedeld

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangalore, India

    Vidya R. Athreya

  3. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway

    John D. C. Linnell

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  1. Sunetro Ghosal
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  3. John D. C. Linnell
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Ghosal, S., Athreya, V.R., Linnell, J.D.C. et al. An ontological crisis? A review of large felid conservation in India. Biodivers Conserv 22, 2665–2681 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0549-6

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