The Western Ghats Conservation Report by Madhav Gadgil- Its importance and current status

What is environmental conservation?

It means to protect the environment. Pollution, cutting down trees, misusing resources, etc has an adverse impact on the environment. In turn we suffer due to it. Things like Tsunami, global warming, diseases are an outcome of it. One of the major environmental issues today is the growing concern over water shortage. Fresh water levels in many parts of the world have dropped alarmingly.  Similarly, we need to make sure that we do not waste our natural resources, plant trees, reduce landfills etc.

The Western Ghats or the Sahyadri constitute a mountain range along the western side of India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight hottest hotspots of biological diversity in the world. The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and runs approximately 1,600 km. It comprises the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tami Nadu and Kerala ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India. This area is one of the world’s ten "Hottest biodiversity hotspots" and has over 5000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species and 179 amphibian species. It is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats forms one of the four watersheds of India, feeding the perennial rivers of India. Important rivers include the Godavari, Krishna, Thamiraparani and Kaveri. These rivers flow to the east and drain out into the Bay of Bengal. Rainfall in this region averages 3,000–4,000 cm. It is one of the 33 recognized ecologically sensitive zones of the world.The total area of Western Ghats is just 2% but it houses 20-25% of biodiversity of India. It has a lot of endemic species that can be found only in the Western Ghats. Recently 100 new varieties of frog were identified. People of this region are aware of the rich biodiversity of this region and its importance

MoEf had constituted the WGEEP in March 2010 for conservation, protection and rejuvenation of Western Ghats Region. What is WGEEP? It is a panel constituted by Ministry of Environment and Forest, dated 4^th March 2010. The panel Comprised of 14 members It was headed by prof. Madhav Gadgil.

High human population density and major transformation of landscape since the mid 18^th century emphasize the urgency of conservation in the Western Ghats.

WGEEP was to assess the current status of ecology of Western Ghats region. Demarcate areas within the Western Ghats to be notified as ecologically sensitive. Such areas will be classified as ecologically sensitive zones(ESZ) under Environment Protection Act, 1986. The recommendations of protection and conservation will have local people participation and establishment of Western Ghats Ecological Authority under Environment Act, 1986. The entire belt from  Ratnagiri and Sindhudurga districts will be ESZ. WGEEP had triggered a vigorous public debate on several vital issues relating to environment — development choices and the proper roles of people and government authorities in deciding on these choices.The report was kept away from public gaze for almost nine months but was finally released on the orders of the Central Information Commissioner.

Currently MoEF has set up a committee under the chairmanship of Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan to review the controversial Western Ghats ecology experts panel report, which had recommended restricting industrial development in about 75% of the hilly terrain spread across six states. The Western Ghats panel report was roundly criticized by the state governments and other infrastructure-related Central ministries. The Ministry has asked the group to evaluate the report of the Madhav Gadgil panel in a “holistic and multidisciplinary fashion in the light of the comments” received from various stakeholders, including State governments and Central Ministries.