More time for Western Ghats panel as eco-sensitive area deadlock continues
The expert committee reviewing the boundaries of the proposed Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) has been granted an extension, as disagreement among stakeholder states over the extent of the ESA continues.
The committee, headed by a former Director General of Forests, was constituted in 2022 to reconcile village-level records, satellite imagery, and land-use data to finalise ESA boundaries across the six Western Ghats states.
Boundaries in some states are reported to be close to finalisation, while others continue to seek a reduction in the proposed ESA extent to permit mining, quarrying, and infrastructure activity.
The latest draft ESA notification, issued in 2024, remains provisionally in force, with the finalisation deadline repeatedly extended — the present extension is the latest in a series stretching back over a decade.
Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESAs) / Eco-Sensitive Zones — legal and regulatory basis
Eco-Sensitive Areas (also called Eco-Sensitive Zones around protected areas) are notified under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, read with the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. Notification restricts or regulates activities such as mining, quarrying, large-scale construction, and polluting industries within the designated area, without imposing the stricter "no human activity" regime of a National Park.
Key Details
- ESAs are distinct from Protected Areas (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries) under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — ESAs regulate specified activities but do not bar all human activity or require relocation of settlements.
- The Environment Ministry has issued at least six successive draft notifications on Western Ghats ESAs since 2014, none of which have been finalised, reflecting continued Centre-state negotiation over the exact boundary.
- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has, on more than one occasion, directed the Union Government to finalise the ESA notification within a fixed timeframe (previously a six-month direction), underscoring judicial pressure on the pending process.
The panel's extension is the latest instance of this notification process stalling — the committee is tasked with resolving exactly the kind of village-boundary and land-use disputes that have prevented finalisation since 2014.
Gadgil Committee (2011) and Kasturirangan Committee (2013) — the two competing frameworks
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), chaired by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, submitted its report in 2011 recommending that nearly the entire Western Ghats (about 64% of the region, divided into Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1-3) be brought under varying degrees of regulation, including restrictions on mining and dams. Facing opposition from state governments over its scope, the Centre set up a second High-Level Working Group under Dr. K. Kasturirangan, which submitted its report in 2013 recommending a smaller, more development-friendly ESA footprint.
Key Details
- The Kasturirangan Committee (2013) identified about 59,940 sq km of the Western Ghats — roughly 37% of its total geographical area — as ecologically sensitive, spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
- The Kasturirangan report covers a continuous natural landscape band of about 1,500 km, including existing protected areas and UNESCO World Heritage properties within the Western Ghats.
- Subsequent government draft notifications have been based on the Kasturirangan report rather than the more restrictive Gadgil report, though even this reduced scope has faced pushback from some states seeking further area reduction.
The current expert panel's mandate is to operationalise the Kasturirangan-based ESA boundaries at the village level; the deadlock described in the news reflects continuing resistance from some states to even this scaled-down conservation footprint.
Western Ghats as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biodiversity Hotspot
The Western Ghats is one of India's four recognised biodiversity hotspots (with the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland) and was inscribed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 2012, recognised for exceptional levels of plant and animal endemism.
Key Details
- The Western Ghats World Heritage Site comprises a serial designation of 39 component sites (national parks and wildlife sanctuaries) spread across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
- The mountain chain runs roughly 1,600 km along India's western coast through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, and is a source region for major peninsular rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
- Its ecological significance is a key reason the Centre has pursued statutory ESA protection despite prolonged state-level resistance.
The unresolved ESA notification directly affects the regulatory buffer around this UNESCO-recognised hotspot, making the panel's continued delay a live prelims-relevant fact (extension of deadline) as well as a mains-relevant conservation-versus-development case study.
- Kasturirangan Committee (2013): about 59,940 sq km (~37% of the total Western Ghats area) recommended as Eco-Sensitive Area, across 6 states.
- Gadgil Committee/WGEEP (2011): recommended a larger area, about 64% of the Western Ghats, under Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1-3.
- Six states covered: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.
- Latest expert committee constituted: 2022, chaired by a former Director General of Forests.
- Latest draft ESA notification issued: 2024; finalisation deadline repeatedly extended, now into 2026.
- Western Ghats UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription: 2012; comprises 39 serial component sites.
- Legal basis for ESA notification: Section 3, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.