By Sanjay Gubbi Political will and commitment plays a crucial role in all issues, including wildlife conservation. I was pleasantly surprised by the Karnataka state budget. There were some points that were aimed at protecting biodiversity, a non-popular issue. The government had announced taxes on exploitation of mining resources and setting up of a taskforce to guide conservation of the ecologically critical Western Ghats. Political will and commitment plays a crucial role in all issues including wildlife conservation. Often seen as the