WESTERN GHATS ECOLOGY EXPERT PANEL

Gadgil Committee:

In 2010, Union Environment Ministry set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel under ecologist Madhav Gadgil to recommend measures to protect the ecology and biodiversity of the Western Ghats. It submitted its report in 2011. Its key highlights are:

• According to it, Western Ghats included an area of 1,29,037 km², running about 1.490 km from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu.
  
  
• It declared the entire Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). Within this area, it designated sub-regions as Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on the threat.
  
  
• Its recommendations for ESA:
  • Ban on cultivation of genetically modified in entire area; Phase-out of all chemical pesticides within five to eight years in ESZ I and ESZ II
    
    
  • Strict regulation of tourism
    
    
  • Plastic bags to be phased out in three years;
    
    
  • No new special economic zones or hill stations to be allowed;
    
    
  • Ban on diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes in ESZ I and II; No new dams in ESZ I; No new polluting industries in ESZ I and ESZ II areas;
    
    
  • Setup a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.
    
    
  
  
  

Kasturirangan committee:

Its recommendations were opposed by the six concerned states. Subsequently Environment Ministry constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturirangan to ‘examine’ the Gadgil Committee report which submitted its report in 2013. Its key highlights are:

• It broadened the definition of Western Ghats and included a total of 1,64,280 square km in it.
  
  
• It then classified it as comprising cultural landscape and natural landscape.
  • 60% of the Western Ghats was cultural landscape, where human settlements, agriculture and plantations existed.
    
    
  • The remaining was natural landscape, of which the ‘biologically rich’ area was only 37%. It was only this part that needed to be classified as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
    
    
  
  
  
• Its recommendations for ESA:
  • Ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining;
    
    
  • No new thermal power projects, but hydro power projects allowed with restrictions;
    
    
  • Ban on new polluting industries;
    
    
  • Building and construction projects up to 20,000 km² was to be allowed but townships were to be banned;
    
    
  • Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.
    
    
  
  
  

Implementation status:

• In 2017, Union Environment Ministry notified an area of 56,285 km² in Western Ghats as ESA.
  
  
• This was slightly less than the 59,940 km² recommended by the Kasturirangan committee.