Context: 

A landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district has once again brought attention to the Dr. Madhav Gadgil report on conserving the Western Ghats.

About Gadgil Commission: 

• In 2010, the Ministry of Environment appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil.
• Aim: To study the impact of population pressure, climate change and development activities on the Western Ghats.

Recommendations of the Dr. Madhav Gadgil report on the Western Ghats:

• 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.

The Kasturirangan-led panel formulated a report as an alternative to the Gadgil Reports: 

Key suggestions of the Kasturirangan panel report:

• Reduced Ecologically Sensitive Area: It has designated only 37 percent of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, which was significantly lower than the 64 percent 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 (ESA).
• 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.

News Source: The Indian Express