SG Scribbling Vol 1, Sabari Ganesh [bookstand for reading .txt] 📗

prosperity of the dollar-cultivating land stands testimony to the hollowness of material pursuits. The solution to and rationale behind a contented life with peace of mind is to limit our passion be it in any field. The limit is highly individualistic though is determined by the fulfillment of the basic needs. The reason being, anything that is imposed by force would trigger the natural human instinct to oppose.

            Applying a limit to passion in practice is possible only when we train our mind and body to lead a life with minimum material comfort, despite possessing much wealth; ever since childhood. The religious practice of fasting, in any religion is a very good example that educates our mind that we are so very dependent on food and our individual intellectual acumen is of no avail. However strong a person may be physically, fasting a month or so, as done during Ramzan festival shall always remind our ego our dependence on food for our physical and intellectual functioning.

            When our ego gets a beating thus, it subdues and we are able to adhere to a routine of life that is imposed upon us by various religious practices. The prime objective of any religion is to restrict and curtail the wagging tail of the mind to a set pattern and thereby escalate us to higher realms of spiritual experience. For instance, In Hinduism, A Brahmin is bashed psychologically by not allowing him to take part in any socially performed religious activity, if he travels across countries. The reason being his primary task is to learn, teach and recite the Veda. Whereas, a Vysya is expected to roam around and enhance the material prosperity of the society and region that he belongs.

            A closer observation would make it evident that the tasks performed by any individual in this kind of social set up is not for individual prosperity rather for the betterment of the entire society at large. In spite of much material prosperity, the traditional daily customs of the Vysya had in fact kept his indulgence in sensual pleasures to a rational minimum. In a sentence, the ancient traditional practice aimed at a society that is distinct in functions but united in vision; similar to the senses of the body – distinct in functions but united as one body.

            Would it be possible to compare and deduce which organ of the human body is superior to the other? Similarly in a society! Any institution would be able to withstand the test of time only if its members complement the other and add positively to the overall common objective of the institution. This is a profound management principle well known and put to practice by our ancestors in the form of religion and customs. Making fun of religious customs and traditions with our now found intellect is childish.

            In our efforts to be simple, the first step shall be to understand where we actually belong. Following our traditional daily routine to the maximum extent possible with minimum compromise shall lead us to the path of peace and bliss. Understanding our traditional heritage is critical in our efforts to being simple because, what is simple to a Kshatriya is luxury to a Sudra, or a Vysya or a Brahmin! While in the path of understanding our lineage and heritage, a process of introspection begins that controls the wavering of our minds to the luxury showcased by our peers; and to lead a more sensible and contented life! The essence of simplicity lies in our finding the cultural and traditional roots that we have so long missed and reviving it.

Bioinvasion

Bioinvasion

© Sabari Ganesh; “All Rights Reserved” 
authorsabariganesh@gmail.com

 https://sabariganesh23.sarahah.com

 

            Invasion is the forced entry of a stranger into a territory that is occupied by its natural inhabitants. The entry is undesired, opposed and eventually harms the territory and its inhabitants. Invasion is applicable as much as to the flora and fauna, as it is to humans. The entrant, due to the absence of its natural control and check parameters in the invaded territory, flourishes at a comparatively rapid rate than its home territory. This eventually destroys the naturally occurring entity of the invaded locality.

            The impact of trade has resulted in the cross border movement of human beings. Along with humans, live stock, pet animals, plants and eventually disease causing pests have also been translocated, either intentionally or unintentionally. The result is the proliferation of the exotic species of plants and animals across the world that is artificially introduced in the territory. They are non-native and in the long run have had a devastating effect on the native species of the region; in spite of the initial economic benefit accrued due to their presence and utility.

            The irony is that, there has always been a trend to discuss the negative impacts of bioinvasion only when a marked threat characterized by a detrimental social and economic impact is recorded and reported. By the time any plan of action is agreed upon in the forum of delegates; the cost to eradicate and control, and impact of the reported invasion becomes exponential, due to the rapid flourishing of these exotic invaders that ultimately threatens the natural biodiversity of the region, followed by habitat loss.

            The top brains of the world, who till date were boasting on the economic benefit achieved due to international trade in a borderless world, have of late begun to realize that the threat and loss accrued by the invasion of these exotic flora and fauna has been more rampant. The economic benefit, when compared to the threat and loss to the ecosystem and the loss of habitat, has been only superficial and actually farce. The reason being, the cost of curbing and controlling the spread and destruction of these exotic invaders; and the loss till their eradication when taken into account is more than the economic gains accrued out of international trade.

            Bioinvasion which has gained so much importance due to its notoriety can be caused by a host of factors that are intentional, unintentional or natural. The multidimensional impact of bioinvasion has rendered the identification and classification of its factors a herculean task. The translocation of ornamental fishes can be cited as a classic instance of voluntary and intentional bioinvasion. The pet fishing industry, increased productivity and stock enhancement are the propelling factors. The result witnessed is the introduction of at least 300 and odd exotic species of ornamental fishes; however, the impact is controlled as they remain confined in aquariums.

The detrimental effect of an exotic invader, which is introduced voluntarily for its economic benefit but failed to be controlled is inevitable and exponential. A classic instance is the Golden Apple Snail that was brought into Asia from South America for its high levels of protein content but in due course devastated the staple food crop of the region - rice paddy! Needless to mention, the damage is more than the benefit achieved.

The major and unavoidable unintentional instance of bioinvasion is Marine Bioinvasion. As we all know and agree, the major vector of international trade is the shipping industry. With ships as the major carrier of goods from one region to the other, organisms that get attached to the hull or sea chest of these ships are also translocated. Since this kind of translocation is unintentional and unplanned, the organisms are translocated in various stages of their life-cycle.

Apart from the external parts of the ships that act as vectors of bioinvasion, the ballast tanks of ships play a major role in the translocation of these exotic species, across the world. Any ship is sailable only if the propeller and rudder remain submerged in the sea. The ship needs to have a minimum weight for these to remain submerged. The cargo that is loaded on to the ship would provide the ship the necessary weight for the propeller and rudder to remain submerged in the ocean. When the ship offloads its cargo at a port, the ocean water is filled into the ships intentionally, in specific chambers called Ballast tanks for the ship to maintain its minimum required weight.

These ballast tanks are managed with their contents at the vicinity of the ports for obvious reasons. The ballast tanks are so huge to the extent that a bulk cargo ship of 200000 tonnes can carry up to 60000 tonnes of ballast water. Roughly about 4 billion tonnes of water is translocated by such ships every year! Along with the ballast water, the flora and fauna of the region is also sucked into the ballast tanks at the cargo off-loading port only to be discharged at the port where cargo would be loaded again. The significance of bioinvasion arising out of ballast water discharge can be attributed to the enormous quantity of marine water that gets translocated as a result.

A significant devastating impact of the exotic invader translocated through the Ballast water discharge is the epidemic cholera reported in Peru in the year 1991 which had spread throughout Latin America and Mexico; claimed the lives of over 10,000 people. No wonder, international organisations have marked bio-invasion as the second greatest threat to biological diversity, next only to habitat degradation.

            The invaders are also found to possess certain innate characteristics that aid their flourishing in the introduced environment. Some worth mentioning would be their ability to endure abiotic factors and hibernation during unfavourable periods. They end up disrupting the natural food chain of the invaded territory, leading to habitat loss. The biological pollution thus caused by the invaders, and the methods and precautions to eradicate, control and prevent their further entry has surfaced to become the most important issue in the global forum of trade related talks.

            Though we have to agree without variance that not every invaded species are destructive; however their percentage to the overall number of the exotic invaders is negligible. Though around half of the available flora in New Zealand is exotic; specific species are indentified as beneficial and are permitted to import by way of licensing; as an act of precautionary principle. In the event of unintentional imports of these exotic species that are harmful, the immediate control and confinement measures are enacted as per the stipulations laid down and classified under the Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The SPS Measures is a system of trade rules and procedures that intend to protect the human, plant and animal health of the importing country from the exotic invaders as a result of international trade. The sanitary measures concern human and animal health, while the Phyto-sanitary measures concern the plant health. The issue with the SPS measures is the free hand given to member nations to stipulate individualistic levels of the quality standard as proved and deemed necessary on scientific basis for protecting its plant, animal and human health.

The effective removal of quantitative restrictions and tariff, with the intention of promoting free trade among the world nations, under the auspices of WTO, has only paved way for discovering new arena to be used as barriers to trade, of course with masked effect. The sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, is one such that is being increasingly used as a trade barrier, without any concern for ethics