Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- Karnataka has convened an Assembly session to discuss the proposed implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations on the Western Ghats.
Kasturirangan Committee report
- The High-Level Working Group (HLWG) chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan was constituted in 2012 to examine the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee on the conservation of the Western Ghats.
- The committee recommended designating 37% of the Western Ghats, covering approximately 59,940 sq. km, as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). It focused more on development balance and economic activities.
- It emphasised regulating development in identified sensitive areas while allowing more flexibility in other regions.
- It recognised the importance of sustainable livelihoods, but with less emphasis on forest rights.
- It argued for strengthening the existing framework of environmental clearances and setting up of a state-of-the-art monitoring agency.
What are the Concerns?
- Around 20,668 sq. km of Karnataka’s Western Ghats region, covering 1,449 villages has been identified for ESA-related restrictions.
- The state government argues that the proposed boundaries could bring agricultural and privately occupied areas within the regulatory framework, creating uncertainty for farmers and residents.
- Farmers have demanded the rejection of the Kasturirangan recommendations, constitution of a new committee and adoption of an alternative approach similar to the Kerala model.
Madhav Gadgil Committee Report
- Ecologically Sensitive Zones: The report recommended classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats into Ecologically Sensitive Zones called ESZ 1, ESZ 2 and ESZ 3.
- It also recommended designating the entire region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
- Almost all developmental activities like mining, construction of thermal power plants, and dams were to stop along with the decommissioning of similar projects that have completed their shelf life in ESZ 1.
- Western Ghats Ecology Authority: Under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, a professional body to manage the ecology of the region and to ensure its sustainable development was recommended by the committee.
- Ban on growing single commercial crops: Crops like tea, coffee, cardamom, rubber, banana and pineapple, which have led to “fragmentation of forest, soil erosion, degradation of river ecosystems and toxic contamination of the environment” should be curtailed.
- Community participation: The panel had urged the Ministry of Environment and Forests to take critical steps to involve citizens, including proactive and sympathetic implementation of the provisions of the Community Forest Resources of the Forest Rights Act.
Western Ghat
- The Western Ghats are a 1,600-km long mountain chain along the west coast of India running from the river Tapi in the north to Kanyakumari in the south.
- It covers six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
- About 60 percent of the mountain range is in Karnataka.
- Significance: These Ghats are home to high mountain forests, which moderate the tropical climate of the region. They are home to 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.
- Western Ghats were accorded the World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 2012.
Source: TH
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