{"id":80333,"date":"2026-07-29T18:04:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=80333"},"modified":"2026-07-29T18:08:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:38:03","slug":"ecologically-sensitive-area-western-ghats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-07-2026\/ecologically-sensitive-area-western-ghats","title":{"rendered":"Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus:GS3\/Environment&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Centre has issued the seventh draft notification to notify 56,825.7 sq km of Western Ghats across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Western Ghats&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They stretch along the western coast of the Indian peninsula, spanning six states \u2013 Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are among the four of the world\u2019s 36 biodiversity hotspots located in India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are Older than the Himalaya mountains, the 1,600 km long Western Ghats mountain chain was recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as one of the world\u2019s eight hotspots of biological diversity in 2018.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The other three biodiversity hotspots are the Himalayas, the Indo-Burma region, and Sundaland.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ecological Significance of Western Ghats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Western Ghats, also known as the<strong> Shayadari hills<\/strong>, hold immense ecological and biodiversity value, making them one of the most critical natural assets of India and the World.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The region has outstanding universal value due to its exceptional <strong>biodiversity, endemism, and its role in maintaining vital ecological <\/strong>and climatic processes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They serve as a <strong>crucial climatic regulator for peninsular India<\/strong>. Acting as a barrier to the South-West monsoon, the range supports lush forests and numerous rivers that sustain millions of people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are also home to diverse ecosystems, including tropical evergreen forests, grasslands, Myristica swamps, and the distinctive shola forest. These ecosystems harbour a wide variety of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are the habitat for several threatened species, such as the lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, and tiger.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are the<strong> source of several major rivers <\/strong>such as\u00a0 Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery, Mandovi, Periyar, and Sharavathi, giving it the tag of the water tower of peninsular India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Threats to the Western Ghats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Large dams, roads and railway expansion fragment habitats, change river ecosystems and threaten biodiversity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and shifting habitats are disrupting ecosystems and forcing many species into higher altitudes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As tourism increases there is more waste, disturbance to wildlife and more conflict between people and animals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Non-native plants like eucalyptus and acacia can displace native vegetation, resulting in a decrease in biodiversity and affecting forest regeneration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Natural habitats are degraded by plantations, agriculture, logging, encroachment and waste disposal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) for Western Ghats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ESA is buffer areas demarcated around protected areas to minimise the negative impact of anthropogenic activities such as mining, hydropower projects, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra are the states where the areas to be demarcated are almost agreed upon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tamil Nadu, the sixth affected state, does not have any major divergences on this issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e8e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"292\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-255.png\" alt=\"ecologically sensitive area\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-80334\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e8e6; width:379px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-255.png 450w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-255-300x195.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Activities:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Prohibited<\/strong>: Mining, polluting industries, major hydropower projects, hazardous substances, and waste disposal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulated<\/strong>: Tree felling, hotels, road widening, groundwater use, night traffic, and introduction of exotic species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Permitted<\/strong>: Traditional agriculture and horticulture, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, renewable energy, and green technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations of Various Committees&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Efforts to demarcate ecologically sensitive areas within the Western Ghats began in 2010 with the formation of the <strong>Madhav Gadgil committee. Gadgil<\/strong>, one of India\u2019s best-known ecologists, submitted his committee\u2019s report in August 2011\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It recommended that the entire area of the Western Ghats, a total of 129,037 square km of land, be declared as ESA, with varying degrees of restrictions on activities based on relative fragility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Following protests by every affected state, the Centre referred the report to a high-level working group led by former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan in August 2012.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Kasturirangan panel suggested that an area of about 60,000 square km be declared as ESA.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This was based on the categorisation of \u2018natural landscapes\u2019 which largely represented a contiguous band of vegetation over 1,500 km of the Ghats, as opposed to \u2018cultural landscapes\u2019 which were already dominated by human settlements, agriculture, and plantations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The draft notification declaring ESAs in the Western Ghats was first issued in March 2014, based on recommendations by the High-Level Working Group (HLWG), headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Kasturirangan.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Criticism of States&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ESA proposal has faced r<strong>esistance from state governments, local communities, plantation owners<\/strong> and political groups who fear restrictions on development, construction, infrastructure projects and livelihoods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kerala<\/strong> wants the ESA area reduced from 9,993.7 sq km to 8,805 sq km by excluding 31 villages (mainly in Idukki and Wayanad). The Centre&#8217;s expert committee has not accepted the request.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Karnataka<\/strong> continues to oppose the current ESA proposal and has questioned the implementation of the Kasturirangan recommendations. The Centre has asked the state to suggest an alternative conservation framework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Goa<\/strong> seeks to exclude 21 villages in Sattari taluka from the proposed ESA list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) project in the Western Ghats seeks to strike a balance between conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A scientific plan, inclusive governance, stakeholder consultation and community participation are essential for an effective implementation of the plan to protect the livelihoods and preserve this ecologically fragile region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improving GIS and remote sensing based monitoring and effective communication on permissible activities can improve transparency, mitigate public concerns and ensure long term water security, ecological balance and resilience against floods, landslides and climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/government-western-ghats-eco-sensitive-area-10807935\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In News <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Centre has issued the seventh draft notification to notify 56,825.7 sq km of Western Ghats across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Western Ghats\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> They stretch along the western coast of the Indian peninsula, spanning six states \u2013 Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> They are among the four of the world\u2019s 36 biodiversity hotspots located in India. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-07-2026\/ecologically-sensitive-area-western-ghats \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80333"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80339,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80333\/revisions\/80339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}