Eco sensitive livelihoods are jobs, occupations or careers that deal with the preservation of the environment. They have grown in importance as awareness about the problems facing the environment has increased. In the rural context eco-sensitive livelihood are those activities which conserve the balance of the ecosystem they dependent upon while providing income generation opportunities to human communities. In the urban context they address poverty alleviation issues as well as urban environmental problems.

The two issues that this subject brings together are-

1. Sensitivity to the environment
2. Income generation for individuals and communities

Considering that financial motivations are driving some of the most polluting human activities , sustainable livelihoods strive to achieve a balance between a comfortable healthy life style for people through an activity that is aware of its impact on nature.


Examples of Eco sensitive Livelihoods

Power Generation-The sustainable energy market has been growing .The reasons for this growth have been Climate change concerns and fluctuating oil prices and government patronage. Solar energy and wind energy are expected to grow in importance and with them the employment opportunities in this field. An example of this is SELCO ,SELCO is a Bangalore based social venture that aims to provide renewable solar energy to rural India at affordable prices. Suzlon Energy, another India based company, is the largest wind turbine manufacturer in Asia and fifth largest in the world.

Construction- A green building is a building constructed with the motive of increasing the efficiency of the resources used (e.g. energy, water and materials) while ensuring that it has no negative impact on the environment. This can be brought about by careful planning before making decisions concerning the siting design operation construction and maintenance. Each country has its own standard for rating the efficiency of buildings.

Agriculture- Sustainable agriculture refers to the ability of farms to produce food indefinitely without causing severe damage to the soil in particular and the ecosystem in general through excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. The ever increasing earth’s population has increased the necessity of sustainable agriculture as the resources involved in agriculture like fertile land are limited. This form of farming is also known as organic farming. There is a growing organic farming movement in India 2.5 million lands were under organic farming in India in 2004 and there are over 15,000 certified organic farms in India.India is also one of the largest organic food exporters to developed countries. Organic farming is labour intensive and this is expensive in countries where labour costs are high. Developing countries have the advantage of cheap and abundant labour this makes organic farming and attractive alternative to the increasingly costly chemical intensive farming.

Conservation Biology-It is the scientific study of the earth’s biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats and ecosystems from extinction. Conservation biology is concerned with the phenomenon that affects the maintenance loss and restoration of biodiversity. On account of the problems facing the environment conservation biology is often referred to as a “Discipline with a Deadline”.

Eco-Tourism-It is a form of tourism in which people travel to a protected area with the main motive of understanding and appreciating the natural vegetation and wildlife of that place. Eco-tourism provides jobs for locals and ensures the preservation of the environment in the protected areas. It usually appeals to ecologically and socially minded individuals.

Sustainable livelihood initiatives taken up by environmental groups:

The World Wildlife Fund -India aims to reduce the over exploitation of India’s forest resources. It tries to promote sustainable livelihoods based on the managed extraction of the forest resources. Their sustainable development initiatives usually try to benefit the communities living in and around the forested area as this reduces the communities dependence on natural resource’ s provided by the forest and encourages them to adopt viable and sustainable alternatives livelihoods like animal husbandry, poultry, carpet weaving etc.

Development Alternatives another N.G.O in India aims to develop sustainable livelihoods in rural India. Its development initiatives include the building of check dams to improve water access, working with tribal women to produce handicrafts and the promotion of vermicomposting .

Importance of “Green Jobs”

The advent of green jobs or careers focused on preserving the environment now means that environmentalism need not be solely a non-profit activity. People can serve the cause of environmentalism and earn money at the same time. These eco sensitive jobs are expected to employ millions in the both developed and developing economies.

Products that create eco sensitive livelihood options ensure that wealth is equitably distributed through the production of an item that is also sensitive to nature and the environment in which it is used.

Sources

Wikipedia.com

www.dainet.otg

www.wwfindia.org

www.organicfacts.net