Recently, the government has issued a draft notification to declare over 56,800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six states as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). 

• The development comes amid massive landslides wreaking havoc in Wayanad, Kerala leading to the deaths of over 300 people.

Crucial Insights on the Proposed Draft

The draft aims to reach an agreement among the six states involved: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, and Gujarat. This issue has been under discussion since 2011.

• Proposal inclusion:
  • Area: Over 56,000 square kilometres across six states will be covered.
    • It Includes 13 villages in Wayanad, Kerala, which recently experienced severe landslides.
  • Restrictions: Mining, quarrying, and sand mining will be banned. Large construction projects will also be limited.
  • Exceptions: Existing homes can be repaired or expanded,  or renovation of existing residential houses in the Eco-sensitive Area but new big buildings are not allowed.
    • The notification also proposes to phase out the existing mines within five years “from the date of issue of the final notification or on the expiry of the existing mining lease, whichever is earlier”. 
• Background of the Draft: The first draft was issued in  March 2014 on the recommendation of the High-Level Working Group (HLWG) formed by the Centre in 2012. 
  • Re-examination of Suggestions: In April 2022, the centre established another panel to check the recommendations from six states. 
    • This panel considered both conservation concerns and developmental aspirations of the region. 
  • Previous Draft: This draft was issued on July 6, 2022. It expired without a consensus between centre and six states on the extent of ESA. 

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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
• Passes in Western Ghats:
• • Thal Ghat Pass: Connects Mumbai to Nashik
  • Bhor Ghat Pass: Connects Mumbai to Pune via Khopoli
  • Palakkad Gap (Pal Ghat): Connects Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to Palakkad, Kerala
  • Amba Ghat Pass: Connects Ratnagiri to Kolhapur
  • Naneghat Pass: Connects Pune with Junnar City
  • Amboli Ghat Pass: Connects Sawantwadi of Maharashtra to Belgaum of Karnataka
• 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.

Significance of the Western Ghats

The Western Ghats are internationally recognized as a region of immense global importance for the conservation of biological diversity, besides containing areas of high geological, cultural and aesthetic values.

• Hydrological Functions: The Western Ghats perform important hydrological and watershed functions. 
  • It feeds a large number of perennial rivers of peninsular India including the three major eastward-flowing rivers Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri. 
  • The peninsular Indian states that receive most of their water supply from rivers originating in the Western Ghats.
• Climatic Role: The mountains of the Western Ghats and their characteristic montane forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon weather patterns that mediate the warm tropical climate of the region, presenting one of the best examples of the tropical monsoon system on the planet. 
  • The Ghats act as a key barrier, intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer.
  • The Western Ghats include a diversity of ecosystems ranging from tropical wet evergreen forests to montane grasslands. They also include the unique shola ecosystem which consists of montane grasslands interspersed with evergreen forest patches.
  • The Western Ghats play a significant and important ecological function in sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is estimated that they neutralise around 4 million tonnes of carbon every year– around 10% of emissions neutralised by all Indian forests.
  • Hottest Hotspots: The Western Ghats boast exceptionally high biological diversity and endemism, making it one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biodiversity.
• High Biodiversity and Endemicity: Western Ghats along with its geographical extension in the wet zone of Sri Lanka are now also considered one of the eight hottest hotspots of biodiversity.
  • The forests of the site include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests anywhere and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.
  • Western Ghats has a high degree of endemism, meaning that species composition from the very north of the mountains to 1,600km south varies greatly. 
  • A number of flagship mammals occur in the property, including parts of the single largest population of globally threatened ‘landscape’ species such as the Asian Elephant, Gaur and Tiger. 
  • Endangered species such as the lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr and Nilgiri Langur are unique to the area.
• Economic Significance: The Western Ghats are rich in iron, manganese and bauxite ores.
  • Its forests are an important source of timber and support a large number of forest-based industries such as paper, plywood, poly-fibres and matchwood.
  • In parts of their ranges Pepper and cardamom, native to the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats have been taken up as plantation crops on a large scale.
  • Other large scale plantations include tea, coffee, oil palm and rubber.
  • There are a number of tourist centres also such as Ooty, Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary etc. There have been important pilgrimage centres such as Sabarimala in Kerala, Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, etc.
• Home to Indigenous Tribes: The indigenous people of the Western Ghats, including the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, constitute 44.2% of the tribal population of 6.95% of Karnataka.
  • Examples: Gowlis, Kunbis, Halakki Vakkala, Kare Vakkala, Kunbi, and Kulvadi Marathi.

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Threats to Western Ghats

The Western Ghats contain exceptional levels of plant and animal diversity and endemicity for a continental area. However, following various threats have been faced by the Western Ghats.

• Susceptibility to Landslides: The unique physiographic-climatic-geological conditions make the western slopes of Western Ghats highly susceptible for the occurrence of frequent and widespread landslides. 
• Mining: Mining activities have grown rapidly especially in Goa and often in violation of all laws, resulting in serious environmental damage and social disruption.
• • Unsustainable mining has increased vulnerability to landslides, damaged water sources and agriculture, and affected the livelihoods of the people living there. 
  • Sand mining has emerged as a major threat in Kerala.
• Livestock Grazing: High livestock grazing within and bordering protected areas is a serious problem causing habitat degradation across the Western Ghats.
• Human-wildlife Conflict: Western Ghats exists within an intensely human-dominated landscape, human-wildlife conflicts are a common phenomenon. 
  • Example: Villagers living close to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, lose approximately 11% of their annual grain production to raiding elephants annually.
• Extraction of Forest Produce: Human communities living within and adjacent to protected areas in the Western Ghats are often dependent on forest produce to meet their subsistence and commercial needs. 
  • With rising population and changing consumption patterns, it is becoming a critical issue.
• Plantations: Over the years, plantations of cash crops have displaced extensive patches of natural forests throughout the Western Ghats and are frequently associated with encroachment of surrounding forest areas.
  • Plantations owned by private individuals and the corporate sector continue to grow in the Western Ghats, resulting in fragmentation of natural habitat.
• Encroachment by Human Settlements: With rise in population, human settlements both within and outside protected areas represent a significant threat.
• Pollution and Climate Change: The unrestricted use of agrochemicals is causing serious damage to aquatic and forest ecosystems.
  • The changes in land use and deforestation have led to changes in climatic patterns and been considered as a cause of floods in many regions in the recent past.
  • Conversion of forest land into agricultural land or for commercial purposes like tourism, illegal logging for timber have significant effects on Western Ghats.
• Development of Hydropower Projects and Large Dams: Large dam projects in Western Ghats have an adverse impact on the environment and cause social disruption too.

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 decentralized 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, which was significantly lower than the 64% suggested by the Gadgil panel.
    • 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.

Way Forward

Following measures have been suggested to protect the Western Ghats from the facing threats:

• Integrated Management Plans: The Government should develop and implement integrated management plans that balance ecological conservation with the developmental needs of the region.
• Enhanced Monitoring: There is a need to strengthen the regulatory framework by enhancing monitoring mechanisms and enforcing existing environmental laws more stringently.
• Improvement of Understanding: There is a need for better understanding of the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functions and related ecosystem services to conserve the Western Ghats.
  • There is also a need to improve the understanding of how human-modified landscapes need to be managed in order to sustain and improve biodiversity conservation.
• Need for Appropriate Policy: Such policy changes need to be promoted that can better manage human-wildlife conflict, can provide financial incentives to further encourage biodiversity-friendly practices and other incentive schemes such as payments for ecosystem services.
• Ban on Illegal Practices: There is a need to ensure that illegal deforestation should be banned, actions need to take care to tackle animal-human conflict and other human actions that impact biodiversity should be kept in check.
• A Collaborative Approach: To maintain the biodiversity of the Western Ghats, a collaborative approach of various stakeholders is required.
  • A balance between conservation efforts and development should be sought and concerned state governments should come to a consensus for implementation of ESA in Western Ghats.

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