Gadgil and Kasturirangan Committees on Western Ghats Conservation

India set up two expert groups, one after the other, to decide how to protect the Western Ghats. The first, led by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, gave a strict plan in 2011 that treated the whole range as sensitive. The second, led by space scientist K. Kasturirangan, gave a softer plan in 2013 that protected about 37% of the range. Almost every debate on the Western Ghats today is a debate between these two reports.

Why were these committees needed?

The Western Ghats are one of the richest natural regions in the world. But mining, quarrying, dams, roads, plantations and towns were eating into them. There was no single plan for all six states. The government wanted experts to say which areas are most sensitive and what should be allowed there.

The Gadgil Committee (WGEEP), 2010-2011

The Ministry of Environment and Forests set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) in March 2010, chaired by Prof. Madhav Gadgil. It submitted its report on 31 August 2011. Its main ideas:

• Treat the entire Western Ghats (about 1,29,037 sq km) as ecologically sensitive.
• Divide it into three zones: ESZ-1 (highest sensitivity), ESZ-2 (high) and ESZ-3 (moderate). About 60% of the area would be in ESZ-1.
• ESZ-1: almost no new mining, no new large dams based on large storage, no new thermal power plants. It specifically said no to the Athirappilly (Kerala) and Gundia (Karnataka) hydroelectric projects.
• ESZ-2: existing mines could continue under strict control, but no new mining licences.
• ESZ-3: new mines allowed with strict rules.
• No genetically modified (GM) crops, no new Special Economic Zones (SEZs), no new hill stations; phase out chemical pesticides.
• Create a Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA), a statutory body under Section 3 of the EPA, 1986.
• Governance should be bottom-up, starting from gram sabhas (village assemblies), not decided only from above.

Why was Gadgil's plan not accepted?

All six states opposed it. They felt it would stop development, hurt farmers and plantation owners, and take away the states' powers. There were strong protests, especially in Kerala and Karnataka. So the Centre set up a second group to "examine" the Gadgil Report.

The Kasturirangan Committee (HLWG), 2012-2013

In 2012, the Ministry set up a High Level Working Group (HLWG) under Dr K. Kasturirangan, former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It submitted its report on 15 April 2013. Its approach:

• It used satellite (remote sensing) data and looked at a larger area of about 1,64,280 sq km.
• It divided the Ghats into two kinds of land:
• Cultural landscape (about 58-63%): land with settlements, farms and plantations.
• Natural landscape (about 37-41%): forests and other natural areas. About 90% of this natural landscape was to be protected.
• The ESA came to about 37% of the Western Ghats, nearly 60,000 sq km, covering 4,156 villages across six states (including 2,159 in Maharashtra, 1,576 in Karnataka, 135 in Tamil Nadu, 123 in Kerala, 99 in Goa and 64 in Gujarat).
• A village was placed in the ESA if 20% or more of its area was ecologically sensitive. This is the "one-fifth" rule Karnataka is objecting to.
• Banned in the ESA: mining, quarrying and sand mining; thermal power plants; "Red category" industries; building projects of 20,000 sq m and above; townships and area-development projects of 50 hectares and above.
• Allowed with conditions: hydropower projects, after detailed study.
• It did not ask for a new authority; the existing environment laws and bodies would enforce it.

How does the idea move from report to law?

Based on the Kasturirangan Report, the MoEFCC issued the first draft ESA notification in March 2014, proposing about 56,825.7 sq km across six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Because states kept objecting, the draft was never made final. It lapsed and was reissued many times. The draft of 31 July 2024 (issued right after the Wayanad landslides in Kerala) proposed: Gujarat 449 sq km, Maharashtra 17,340 sq km, Goa 1,461 sq km, Karnataka 20,668 sq km, Tamil Nadu 6,914 sq km and Kerala 9,993.7 sq km.

As of September 2026, a seventh draft (issued 27 July 2026) is under consultation, and the ESA is still not final.

Commonly confused concepts

• Gadgil vs Kasturirangan:
• Area: Gadgil treated the whole range as sensitive; Kasturirangan protected about 37%.
• Zones: Gadgil used three ESZ levels; Kasturirangan split the land into natural and cultural landscape.
• Method: Gadgil stressed local knowledge and gram sabhas; Kasturirangan relied mainly on satellite data.
• New body: Gadgil wanted a Western Ghats Ecology Authority; Kasturirangan did not.
• Hydropower: Gadgil opposed new large dams in ESZ-1; Kasturirangan allowed hydropower with conditions.
• HLWG vs WGEEP: WGEEP = Gadgil (2011). HLWG = Kasturirangan (2013). Students often swap them.
• Oommen V. Oommen Committee (Kerala): a state-level panel that examined the Kasturirangan Report's impact in Kerala. It recommended field surveys and excluding verified human settlements. It is not a national committee.

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Too strict or too weak? Many conservationists say Kasturirangan left 63% of the Ghats with little protection, while fragile landscapes often lie in farmland and plantations too. States and many farmers, on the other hand, find even the Kasturirangan plan too strict.
• Satellite maps vs ground reality: Both Kerala and Karnataka say the maps put houses, farms and roads inside the ESA by mistake. They ask for survey-number-level checks.
• Disasters as a warning: Landslides and floods, such as the Kerala floods of 2018 and the Wayanad landslides of July 2024, renewed calls to finalise protection, since quarrying and building on steep slopes add to the risk.
• Livelihood worries: Plantation workers, small farmers and tribal communities fear loss of income. Experts suggest compensation, green jobs and payment for ecosystem services.
• Way forward: finish ground-truthing quickly, involve gram sabhas, keep the core ecological areas protected, and finalise the notification instead of letting drafts lapse again and again.

Concepts to Know

• Remote sensing: Collecting information about the Earth from satellites or aircraft, without going there physically.
• Statutory authority: A body created by a law passed by Parliament or a state legislature, which gives it legal powers.
• Gram sabha: The assembly of all adult voters of a village. It is the base of local self-government.
• Cultural landscape: Land shaped by people, like fields, plantations and villages. Natural landscape: land still mostly in its natural state, like forests and grasslands.
• Survey number: The official number given to a piece of land in revenue records. A "survey-number-wise" demarcation checks each plot separately.