{"id":109431,"date":"2026-06-23T11:22:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T05:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=109431"},"modified":"2026-06-23T11:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T05:52:17","slug":"western-ghats-esa-the-debate-over-protecting-indias-biodiversity-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/western-ghats-esa-the-debate-over-protecting-indias-biodiversity-hotspot\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Ghats ESA: The Debate Over Protecting India&#8217;s Biodiversity Hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Western Ghats ESA Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification, currently valid until the end of July 2026, is once again in focus.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Six state governments continue to resist finalisation of ESA boundaries, even as a fresh expert committee works toward a resolution.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The debate captures a fundamental tension in Indian environmental governance \u2014 conservation versus development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Are the Western Ghats and Why Do They Matter<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Western Ghats are a nearly unbroken <\/span><b>mountain chain<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stretching 1,500 km along <\/span><b>India&#8217;s western coast<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second only to the Himalayas in ecological importance, the Ghats are <\/span><b>one of the eight &#8220;hottest hotspots&#8221;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of biological diversity in the entire world. They harbour hundreds of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ghats are not just ecologically rich \u2014 they are <\/span><b>hydrologically critical<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They act as a physical barrier against moisture-carrying monsoon winds, channelling heavy rainfall onto the coastal side.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rainfall feeds major rivers including the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, and Periyar \u2014 rivers that sustain the livelihoods of millions across peninsular India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Importantly, unlike most protected ecosystems, the <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/western-ghats\/\" target=\"_blank\">Western Ghats<\/a> are densely populated<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and economically active.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region is famous for cash crops \u2014 pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coffee, mango, and jackfruit.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It spans <\/span><b>six states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This combination of ecological fragility and human habitation is at the heart of the ESA dispute.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What Is an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/environment-protection-act-1986\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Environment Protection Act, 1986<\/i><\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Central Government can notify certain areas as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) \u2014 also called Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea is to regulate or prohibit activities that could damage fragile ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an ESA, activities like mining, quarrying, red-category polluting industries, thermal power plants, and large construction and townships are either banned or heavily regulated.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ESAs have previously been notified around Dahanu (Maharashtra), Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani, and the Doon Valley.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Two Panels: Gadgil vs. Kasturirangan<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/gadgil-committee-report-and-kasturirangan-committee-report-sometimes-seen-in-the-news-are-related-to\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gadgil Panel<\/a> (2011)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, chaired by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, submitted its report in 2011.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It took a strict position: the entire 1,29,037 sq km of the Ghats should be designated as ESA, with heavy cross-sectoral restrictions on development activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States and local communities found this too restrictive and strongly opposed it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Kasturirangan Panel (2013)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the political resistance to the Gadgil report, the Centre set up a high-level working group under K. Kasturirangan, former chief of ISRO. His panel took a more calibrated approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The panel identified 1,64,280 sq km as the Ghats&#8217; total extent. Of this, it found that <\/span><b>60% was already &#8220;cultural landscape<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; \u2014 land under human use: settlements, plantations, and agriculture.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The remaining <\/span><b>40%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (approximately 60,000 sq km) was classified as <\/span><b>&#8220;natural landscape<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; \u2014 high biological richness, low human density, and home to national parks, tiger reserves, and elephant habitats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The panel recommended that only this 60,000 sq km natural landscape be notified as ESA, along with a ban on the most damaging industrial activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The then government accepted this in principle in December 2013.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">A Decade of Draft Notifications and Deadlock<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre issued its first draft ESA notification in March 2014, demarcating <\/span><b>56,825.7 sq km<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 already reduced from the 60,000 sq km recommended by Kasturirangan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 2014, the ESA draft notification has been issued and <\/span><b>revised six times<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The latest notification was issued on July 31, 2024, and is valid until the end of July 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each time, the Environment Ministry has sought state approval on final ESA boundaries. Each time, states have returned with fresh demands or remained deadlocked.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A notable change in the July 2024 notification: for the first time, it introduced a provision to finalise ESA in a <\/span><b>phased, state-wise manner<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 rather than waiting for all six states to agree simultaneously.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This allows the Centre to proceed with states where consensus is closer, without being held back by the more resistant ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Are States Opposing the ESA<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The core objection is economic. States fear that ESA notification will impose severe restrictions on industrial activity, mining, quarrying, and construction in their territories.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Karnataka<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been the most resistant. It has completely rejected the Kasturirangan panel recommendations and remains far from consensus.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Kerala<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has sought to reduce its notified area from 9,993.7 sq km by another approximately 1,000 sq km. It wants villages in Idukki \u2014 particularly in the Cardamom Hills \u2014 excluded, citing active plantation and agricultural activity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maharashtra <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has sought exclusion of 378 villages from the 2,133 listed in the draft, arguing these villages host industries, mining operations, or are geographically distant from core ESA zones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Goa, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have also raised objections, though the most acute tensions remain in Kerala and Karnataka.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The 2022 Expert Committee: A Fresh Attempt<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2022, the Centre constituted a new expert committee under <\/span><b>Sanjay Kumar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, former Director General of Forests, to re-examine state objections while keeping conservation needs in view.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has been working to resolve ground-level disputes \u2014 reconciling village-level data, revenue records, and satellite imagery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notably, the committee is also considering <\/span><b>financial incentives for states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that protect the Ghats.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kasturirangan panel had recommended that the six states negotiate for a <\/span><b>grant-in-aid from the Centre<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as compensation for ecological protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of <\/span><b>Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 where states receive financial compensation for the ecological services their forests provide (clean water, carbon sequestration, biodiversity) \u2014 is also on the table.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Western Ghats debate is not just about land demarcation. It is about how India balances ecological survival with economic development \u2014 a question central to India&#8217;s climate commitments, disaster preparedness, and long-term water security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region has already seen the consequences of ecological degradation. Landslides and floods \u2014 including the devastating 2018 and 2019 Kerala floods \u2014 have been partly attributed to deforestation and unregulated construction in ecologically sensitive zones.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Civil society groups in Kerala, Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra have simultaneously protested demanding both stronger protection and exclusion of their villages \u2014 reflecting the internal contradictions within states themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/western-ghats-what-is-the-esa-plan-for-conservation-why-states-are-opposing-it-10752679\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Western Ghats ESA seeks to balance ecological conservation and development by regulating harmful activities in one of the world&#8217;s richest biodiversity hotspots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":109450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,8273],"class_list":{"0":"post-109431","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","11":"tag-western-ghats-esa","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109431"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109459,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109431\/revisions\/109459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}