Eco-Sensitive Zones & Western Ghats

The Karnataka government has asked the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to withdraw the sixth draft notification issued by it for declaration of Eco-Sensitive Area (ESAs) of the Western Ghats.

Background

• On July 31, 2024, MoEF&CC reissued the draft notification for the sixth time in a decade, proposing to classify parts of the Western Ghats in six states as ESAs.
• Objections and suggestions were called for within a 60-day period.
• Karnataka rejected the Kasturirangan Committee report in a Cabinet meeting on September 26.
  • The government argues that implementing the report would cause hardships to 1,499 villages across 33 taluks in 10 districts of Karnataka, affecting lakhs of residents.

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About Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs)

• Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESAs)are located within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• It acts as a transition zone for areas which have less protection to areas which have high protection.
• These are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Environment Protection Act 1986.
• Established since 2002, ESZs act as buffer zones, providing an additional layer of wildlife protection by serving as “shock absorbers,” facilitating a smooth transition from strictly protected zones to areas with more relaxed conservation regulations.
• It is also known as Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs).

Conservation Efforts for Western Ghats

• Government has taken various measures to conserve biodiversity with the establishment of Protected Area network, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves. 
  • Nearly 10% of the total area of Western Ghats is currently covered under protected areas.
• The government has also taken initiative to demarcate Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) for promotion of environment-friendly and socially inclusive development.

Madhav Gadgil Committee (2011)

• Classification of Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs): The report proposed classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats, spread over six states, into three categories – ESZ 1, ESZ 2, and ESZ 3.
• Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA): The entire Western Ghats region was recommended to be designated as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.
• Developmental Activities: The report called for a halt to almost all developmental activities like mining, construction of thermal power plants, and dams in ESZ 1. 
• Bans and Restrictions: Genetically modified crops, plastic bags, Special Economic Zones, new hill stations, and changes in land use from farmland to non-farm land were  to be prohibited. 
  • The diversion of rivers to protect the ecology of the region and conversion of public lands into private lands were also discouraged.
• Bottom-to-Top Governance: The report suggested a decentralised approach to governance with more power given to local authorities. 
  • It recommended the establishment of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to manage the region’s ecology and ensure sustainable development.
• Ban on Single Commercial Crops: The report called for a ban on growing single commercial crops like tea, coffee, cardamom, rubber, banana, and pineapple in the Western Ghats, as they had negative environmental impacts.

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Dr. K Kasturirangan Committee (2013)

• Reduced Ecologically Sensitive Area: It has designated only 37% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
• Categorization of Regions: The panel split the Western Ghats into two categories – cultural regions (human settlements) and natural regions (non-human settlements). 
• It proposed designating cultural lands as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.
• Categorization of Activities: The report introduced a classification of activities into three categories – red, orange, and green.
  • Red Category: Activities, such as mining, stone quarrying, were recommended to be banned.
  • Orange Category: Activities would be regulated and allowed with appropriate permissions.
  • Green Category: All agricultural, horticultural, and certain commercial activities were allowed.

About Western Ghats 

• Older than the Himalaya mountains, the mountain chain of the Western Ghats represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes.
• Location: Stretches 1,600 km (990 mi) along the western coast of the Indian peninsula.
• Coverage: 160,000 km² (62,000 sq mi) across six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• Local Names: 
  • Sahyadri: In Maharashtra 
  • Nilgiri Hills: In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu 
  • Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom Hills: In Kerala
• Formation and Geology:
  • Formation: Created during the break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana in the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.
  • Geological Evidence: The mountains were formed when India separated from Africa and rose along the west coast.
  • Composition: The Deccan Plateau is made of basalt rocks, influencing the rise of the Western Ghats.
• Topographical Variation: Higher in elevation (average elevation about 1,500 m) and more continuous compared to the Eastern Ghats, with height increasing from north to south.
• Protected Areas in the Western Ghats: Protected Areas Includes two biosphere reserves, 13 National Parks, several wildlife sanctuaries, and many Reserve Forests.
• Major Protected Areas include Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Silent Valley National Park
• Recognition: Western Ghats was declared as a world heritage site in 2012 by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
  • It is one of the eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity in the world.

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