At the Democracy Vikalp Sangam (Alternatives Confluence) organised in October 2019, there was some discussion on the need to re-conceptualise political boundaries from an ecological and cultural perspective. What, for instance, would decision-making look like if river basins, or mountains, or other contiguous ecosystems and the cultures associated with them (including, for instance, nomadism) were to be the focus? Could political constituencies correspond to a river basin, or a lake and its surrounds, or a mountain range? Such inquiries could be considered for regions within a country, or between current nation-state boundaries. There has been a realisation, in particular, that re-imagining the possibilities flowing from such inquiries, then working to create a movement for the realisation of such possibilities for South Asia as a whole, and also linking these processes to peace, are urgently necessary tasks. With the risk of climate chaos increasing rapidly, the well-being of people and nature in this region depends on society, state and markets working from a bioregional perspective. Hence the idea of creating a group that could work on these themes, issues, and questions.
Experience over the last many decades indicates that current political and administrative boundaries, both within and between countries, are often not suitable for decision-making that indeed leads to ecological sustainability and livelihood security. Existing political and administrative boundaries often cut across contiguous ecological and/or cultural landscapes, thereby disrupting the natural movement of wildlife and genes, as also the historical movements and links of communities (especially nomadic ones). So the idea is to rethink/relook at existing political and administrative boundaries, and consider transboundary or borderless or reconstituted approaches that respect Eco-Bio-Cultural linkages and contiguities. There is a need to understand, conceptualise, and advocate for such bioregional approaches, including to consider human-wildlife dimensions.