Hazaron saalon tak, fitrat infrastruktur – jese ke daryaon ka nizam, umeedain, sahil plains, rait ke dunes, aur jangalon – ne insani tahqiqat ki taraqqi ko madad ki. Haqeeqatan mein, hamare ability ke liye ke ham qudrati infrastruktur ka istemal karen, chahe wo kuch bhi ho, khana aur peenay ka pani se le kar toofan-surge protection aur sailaab ka hosla, hamare insaniyat ke kamiyabi ka markaz raha hai. Aur ye hamare mustaqbil ke hasool ke liye bhi zaroori sabit hoga.
Tehqiqati taraqqi ne infrastruktur ki tabdeeli ko tezi se barha diya. Sabz ne grey mein badal gaya, jahan concrete, cable, aur steel ne energy, communication, aur transportation ko pohanchaya – aur sath hi sath, is ke sath behad izafa aur taraqqi. Lekin jabke tez modernization ne kabhi socha na ja saknay wale dolat pohanchayi, is ne bari ghalat asarat peda kiye hain, khas tor par ye ke mohlik tahqiqati tabahi aur greenhouse gas emissions jo hamare mojoodgi ko khatra mein dal rahe hain.
Sawal yeh hai ke kaise ham fauran ke mohimat ko pura karen – emission kam karna aur qudrati nisf ko bachana aur isay behtar banana – jab ke hum developing economies ko unki haqeeqi grow karti asaarat ko pura karne mein madad karnay detay hain. Jawab, jese ke Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ki taaza riport suggest karti hai, shayad nature ko infrastruktur ki terhan qubool karna se shuru hota hai.
Nature ko infrastruktur ki terhan dekhna aik tabdili angaiz hai, kyun ke is se hamain aik nizamati taur par sochnay par majboor karta hai. Jab hum grow aur taraqqi ki taraf barh rahe hain, to hamain sirf nature ko nuqsan nahi pohanchana chahiye; balke hamain isay “nature-positive” investments ke zariye mazeed mazboot aur zayada darust karna chahiye – yeh sab karte hue ke iski zindagi ko istemal karnay ke liye.
Baiyolog pehlay hi is kaam ko karte hain jab wo dekhte hain ke kese zameen ko behtar banaya ja sakta hai. Lekin ab economists ko is ka hissa ban’na chahiye aur unko natural capital ki qeemat aur complexity ko capture karne ke liye apne tools ko behtar banane ki zarurat hai. Biodiversity, masalan, sirf species ki tadad nahi cover karta, balkay inki genetic diversity aur functions ki bhi diversity. Biodiversity ka ek aur pahlu hai species ki mushkil evolutionary history – jab wo “tree of life” mein alag alag thay. Sirf isay gehra karke hi ham nature ki asal qowat aur hamaray is par asar ko samajh saktay hain.
Ye ilm buhat muqami hai, aur isay hasil karna ilmi tajaweezat aur muqami aabadiyon ki taraf se karna parega. Achi khabar ye hai ke is tarah ki collaboration ke liye pehlay se hi models mojood hain. Massive Sanbei reforestation project, jo ke Northern China mein do baray deserts ko milnay se roknay ka maqsad rakhta hai, shuruwat mein aik ghalat koshish thi, jismein sirf aik qisam ke darakht lagaye gaye thay. Lekin do dashton ke ilmi mahaul aur muqami communities ke hissay ka shamil hona ne isay kamyab banaya.
Governance aur tanfidat bhi qudrati infrastruktur ko hifazati aur usay paalne ke liye ahem hain. Indonesia mein, mangroves ne bohot arsay se communities ko, khas tor par ghareeb gharanon ko, maut khatar tidal floods se bachaya hai, lekin regions jahan state ki capacity kam hai wahan ye depleted ho rahe hain. Egypt mein, iske bilkul mutazad hai, jahan mangroves ko restore karne ki koshishain eco-tourism aur beekeeping se madad mili hai, jo ke shehad peda karta hai aur zaroori pollination services ko support karta hai.
Nature-as-infrastructure approach ye talab karta hai ke humain pehle dekhein ke nature kya pesh karsakta hai phir grey solutions ko consider karein, aur ye developing countries ko asli taur par sustainable tareeqon se unke infrastructure gaps ko poora karne mein madad kar sakta hai. Lekin grey infrastructure hamare liye hamesha zaroori hoga grow aur development ke liye. Is talab karta hai ke hum ise behtar design karein, taake iska nature par asar kam ho. Masalan, renewable energy infrastructure ka bara ecologial footprint hota hai, aur road infrastructure ecosystems ko tukray tukray karke damage karta hai. Solutions, jese ke brown sites par infrastructure ko co-locate karna aur auxiliary infrastructure (jese ke wildlife highway crossings, green urban spaces, aur nature-restoration offsets) provide karna, in asarat ko kam karne mein madad kar sakti hain.
Beshak, financing ek mushkil ho sakti hai. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, jo aik saal pehlay muttafiq hua, ye samajhta hai ke 2030 tak biodiversity funding gap ko poora karne ke liye $598-824 billion har saal ki zarurat hogi. Is tarah ke rakamain, nature ko theek tarah se qeemat dene aur markets banane ke liye liye aikriye ja sakti hain jo private aur institutional capital ko mobilize karein.
Is maqsad ke liye, “nature as infrastructure” ko aik asset class banaya jana chahiye, naye tools aur maliye aalaat ka istemal karte hue. Micro level par, iske liye nature ki services ki behtar qeemat lagana hoga – masalan, damaging activities ke liye istemal charges ya permits aur taxes – aur adaptable local