Ecosystem And Business
The biological communities interacting within each other and with their surroundings form an Ecosystem. The variety of living things and the chemical factors that influence these living things consists of an ecosystem. The study of processes that link the living or biotic components with the non living surroundings or abiotic components is ecosystem study. There is a constant interaction between business and ecosystem in every activity conducted by the business.
The need for power today has driven every successive government to allow private sectors in the field of power generation through Hydro and Thermal. It is very important for these companies to strike a balance between business profits and ecosystem for the benefit of human mankind in the long run.
Private sectors in order to reap higher profits tend to exploit natural water resources beyond acceptable limits,. The biological community present in and around the water, be it a man made Dam, or a flowing river comprises an Ecosystem and they are destroyed beyond repairable limits.
Welspun, Essar, Jaiprakash and Reliance etc are some of the major hydro projects in MP run by the private sector . Like water, bauxite too is a natural resource which cannot be replenished. Sterlite group is mining for bauxite near Nyamgiri mountain ranges in Odisha. Nyamgiri mountain range is an ecosystem in itself, hence any mining activity creates imbalance to the ecosystem. Companies be it be private, or government owned need to use the natural resources such that the resources are conserved.
Over exploitation has stirred even the Supreme Court to intervene and pass restrictions. In its hearing on Aug 23, 2012 the SC bench turned furious after senior counsel and amicus curiae Shyam Divan informed that 8 lakh metric ton out of illegally mined 35 lakh metric tons of Iron ore from Karnataka were actually seized by the authorities and kept in custody as per the orders of a judicial magistrate, yet the seized consignments were exported out of country due to rampant corruption. Companies like JSW steel, NMDC, Kudremukh etc are the major players in the field of mining of this natural resource, in our country. The area which is an ecosystem has been badly affected by the rampant mining by these companies including the government owned units.
Recently the National Green Tribunal, Bhopal Bench has accepted a petition about over digging (flouting the lease conditions) by sand suppliers near the banks of Narmada at Budhni, Hoshangabad and Betul against the state Government for violation of environmental laws in issuance of lease for sand mining. Major and minor mining leases have been allotted in 10km periphery of Pachmarhi Biosphere reserve (Ecosystem) which is against environmental laws. Ecosystem is also damaged by businesses dealing in forest products and located at Industrial Areas near any ecosystem. Hence any effect on the ecological balance shall affect the Business being carried out in that area in the long run.
Young minds who would lead the business sphere in the near future need to be very sensitive to ecosystem – such that business and ecosystem co-exist. In order to have sustainable growth of business, need of maintaining ecosystem balance is all the more necessary. Ecosystem cannot be ignored completely in pursuing profitable business; else a time will come when these businesses will have to shut down due to non availability of proper conditions to run them.
Ref: – 1. Rediffmail.com/news/report/sc-shocked
2. TOI, Bhopal, 30/03/2014
