Conservation of western ghats gadgil &kasthurirangan report-juliya saji

About Kasthurirangan and Gadgil reports - its recommendation's , drawbacks etc.

1. CONSERVATION OF WESTERN GHATS -GADGIL & KASTHURIRANGAN REPORT S U B M I TT E D B Y , J U L I YA S A J I M O D U L E - 5

2. IMPORTANCE OF WESTERN GHATS THREATS FACED BY THE WESTERN GHATS W H Y I S T H E R E P O R T S I M P O R T A N T ? M A D H AV G A D G I L R E P O R T KASTHURIRANGAN REPORT RESPONSES OF THE STATES P R E S E N T A T I O N OUTLINE MAIN TOPICS B er o u S o l u t i o n s , I n c . | 2 2

3. WESTERN GHAT C O N S E R V A T I O N IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC The topic is important under C u rr e n t affa i r s , d i s a s t e r management and environment

4. WESTERN GHATS IMPORTANCE Western Ghats is the western edge of Deccan Plateau and parallel to the Arabian Sea. Western Ghats is extended over 6 states : Kerala , Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu , Karnataka , Goa and Gujarat. It is the complete range of mountain from Tapi in Gujarat to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, with a length of around 1600 kms and an approximate area of 1.6 lakh sq kms , along the Indian West Coast . It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world. .

5. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India and the most diverse place in India after Himalayas. It has 13 national parks and sanctuaries. It is one of the world’s ten "hottest biodiversity hotspots". It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are only found in India and nowhere else in the world . It has 500 species birds and 289 species mammals and many other species. Western Ghats acts as the barrier to moisture laden clouds. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. Neutralize around 4 million tones of carbon which is about 1.6 % of India's total carbon emission

6. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE The Western Ghats are rich in iron, manganese and bauxite ores in parts of their ranges. The Place is suitable for large scale plantation agriculture including rubber , cardamom , tea , coffee etc. The forests of Western Ghats are important source of timber and support a large number of forest-based industries such as paper, plywood, poly-fibers and matchwood. The forest based communities of western Ghats have been deriving sustenance from the forest by collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP)

7. There are number of tourist centers that have sprung up in the Western Ghats; example: Ooty, Thekaddy etc. There has been important pilgrimage centers in the region- prominent amongst these being Sabarimalai in Kerala, Madeveshwaramalai in Karnataka and Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. . It is inhabited by 50 million people including tribal and migrant farmers

8. There has been a loss of 2729 km2 of forest, that is loss of forest cover with the crown density up to 20% or more, which amounts to 25.6% of the forest area. Thus the annual rate of deforestation is 1.16% of the total forested area. The dense forest has shrunk by 19.5% or at an annual rate of 0.8%, and the open forest has decreased in area by 33.2%, or an annual rate of 1.5%. As a result, areas have increased under degraded forest (26.64%), grasslands (28.73%), plantations (6.78%), and agriculture

9. W H Y I S T H I S I M P O R T A N T ? The recent floods happened in Kerala and Kodagu , frequent landslides , droughts and many more environmental problems is making it more evident that the Western Ghats needs conservation. And this needs to be addressed on war-footing. These situations will be regular and frequent features if not addressed immediately .

10. M A D H A V G A D G I L R E P O R T R E CC O MM E N D A T I O N S & D R A W B A C K S

11. The loss of forest cover and species in an alarming rate made the Union government to take necessary actions to conserve the Western Ghats. The committee was appointed by the Ministry of environment and forest in 2010. It was a 14 member panel under Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil to study the ecological and environmental Problems of western Ghats and give recommendations . Gadgil is the chairman of the western Ghats ecology expert panel (WGEEP) and the founder of the Centre for ecological science. This committee was formally called as the Western Ghats ecology expert Panel (WGEEP). The committee submitted the WGEEP report to the government of India on 31st August 2011.Many supported the report but there were protests.

12. RECCOMMENDATIONS B e r o u S o l u t i o n s , I n c . | 2 2 1. Report considered the entire western Ghats as an eco sensitive area which was divided into 3 zones .

13. The places which are ecologically and economically important, but vulnerable to even mild disturbances and hence, demand conservation. According to the environment protection act of 1986 ,Union government has the right to label a place as ESZ. The Criteria for identification of an ESZ is based on the species, ecosystem, geomorphological features of the region. ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE ZONES (ESZ)

14. PRESENCE OF ENDEMIC SPECIES WHY IS WESTERN GHATS ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE ? E N D A N G E R E D SPECIES RARITY CENTRE OF EVOLUTION OF D O M E S T I C A T E D SPECIES

15. WILDLIFE C O RR I D O R WHY IS WESTERN GHATS ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE ? S P E C I A L I Z E D ECOSYSTEM SWAMPS AND WETLANDS SPECIAL BREEDING SITE AND SACRED GROOVES

16. RECCOMMENDATIONS B e r o u S o l u t i o n s , I n c . | 2 2 2.The panel has classified 142 taluks in the Western Ghats boundary into ecological sensitive zones 1,2, 3, (ESZ).

17. ESZ 1 h i g h p r i o r i t y w e r e a l l developmental activities like mining, thermal power plants e t c . w e r e r e s t r i c t e d i n i t . No new dams based on large scale storage be p e r m i tt e d i n t h e E S Z 1 . ESZ 2 regions of high s e n s i t i v i t y , i n t e r m e d i a t e protection and control. ESZ 3 regions of moderate s e n s i t i v i t y , m o d e r a t e protection and control PROTECTED AREAS E x i s t i n g p r o t e c t e d a r e a s based on wildlife protection act. ECO SENSITIVE ZONES

18. RECCOMMENDATIONS B e r o u S o l u t i o n s , I n c . | 2 2 3 . Bottom to top approach (grama Sabha) rather than top to bottom and asked for decentralization of powers and more powers for local bodies . Framework for the establishment of the Western Ghats Authorities.

19. WESTERN GHATS ECOLOGY AUTHORITY (WGEA) Under the Union government , integrates the function of state and district level ecology authority. WESTERN GHATS AUTHORITIES DISTRICT LEVEL ECOLOGY COMMITTEE STATE LEVEL ECOLOGY AUTHORITY It is a statutory authority appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest under environment protection act of 1986 to focus development and sustainability of ecologically sensitive areas of Western Ghats. It consist of 3 bodies:

20. FUNCTIONS OF WGA APPROVE THE MASTER LAND USE PLAN OF THE ESZ WHICH SHALL BE PREPARED BY THE STATE GOVERNMENTS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEC. DEVELOP A WESTERN GHATS MASTER PLAN FOR THE CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

21. FUNCTIONS OF WGA LAY DOWN NORMATIVE STANDARDS FOR REGULATING, MANAGING AND CONTROLLING ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE ECOLOGY AND SOCIAL FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITIES WITH RESPECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS IN THE WESTERN GHATS ACT AS A DISPUTE RESOLVING AUTHORITY.

22. Ban on cultivation of g e n e t i c a ll y m o d i f i e d i n e n t i r e area Plastic bags in shops, tourist spots should be phased out No new SEZs or hill stations to be allowed Certain activities like filling of marshes, wet lands, Introduction of alien species are not permitted. 4. GENERAL R E CC O MM E N D A T I O N S

23. Eco friendly building materials and construction methods Make river clubs in every school Teach Agri -stuff in schools.

24. D R A W B A C K S It focused more on environmental friendly approach and did not consider the ground realities . Complete eco sensitive cover for the Western Ghats which can affect development and energy requirement of different states . A new body called WGEA . State insisted that protection can be given under existing laws. They feared that the body will indulge in their decision making power.

25. 4.It did not provide the solution for the revenue losses due to implementation of its recommendations. 5. It was against the dams in Western Ghats and did not consider the growing energy demands of the country. 6.Regions demarcated as ESZ s are fully inhabited - replacement rumors 7.Death knell for intensive agriculture

26. KASTHURIRANGAN REPORT RECCOMMENDATIONS & DIFFERENCES WITH GADGIL REPORT

27. I n 2 1 3 , a n o t h e r c om m i tt ee h e ad e d b y D r K a s t u r i r a n g a n , a f o r m e r h e ad of I S R O , s u b m i tt e d a r e vi s e d r e p or t on the region. Compared to the Gadgil Committee report, w h i c h r e c o mm e n d e d t h a t a r ou n d 7 % of t h e W e s t e r n Ghats be declared ESA, the Kasturirangan Committee report nearly halved this recommendation to cover 37% of the Western Ghats. OVERVIEW OF THE REPORT

28. KEY R E CC O MM E N D A T I O N S 1 . Only 37% of the area was bought under the ESA: the committee recommended that as much as 20,668 sq. km spread across 11 districts in the Western Ghats comprising 1,592 villages be declared as ESA. A complete ban on mining , quarrying and sand mining in the ESA. Current mining areas in the ESA should be phased out within next 5 yrs or by the expiry of the mining license or whichever is earlier No thermal power be allowed and hydro power will be allowed only after the detailed study.

29. KEY R E CC O MM E N D A T I O N S Red industries which are highly polluting industries are banned in this area. Exclusion of inhabited and plantations from the purview of the eco sensitive areas. Strengthening of existing framework of environmental clearance and setting up monitoring agency made several pro-farmer recommendations, including exempting inhabited regions and plantations from being classified as ecologically sensitive

30. CRITICISMS Gadgil has criticized the Kasturirangan Committee report for replacing the Chaturanga pro-people and pro-nature attitude of the WGEEP report with an autocratic approach in terms of development and ecological conservation and ignores the role of people and local government. The report used remote sensing and aerial survey methods for zonal demarcation of land in the Western Ghats which had led to many errors. For example, it included many villages under Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) where there was no forest land at all. It has been criticized for keeping the vast stretches of Western Ghats in the category cultural landscapes, out of the purview of ecologically sensitive areas.

31. GADGIL REPORT KASTHURIRANGAN REPORT VS

32. K A S T H U R I R A N G AN REPORT GADGIL REPORT ENTIRE WG SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS ESZ CREATED THREE CATEGORIES OF PROTECTION REGIMES AND LISTED ACTIVITIES 3.137,000 HECTARES SHOULD BE AWARDED THE STATUS OF ESZ REMOVED CASH CROPS,AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND SETTLEMENTS FROM ESZ MADE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN WHAT IT CALLED CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND NATURAL LANDSCAPE. 60,000 HECTARES SHOULD BE AWARDED AS ESZ

33. LIST OF ACTIVITIES PERMISSIBLE IN THE PROTECTED REGIME BAN PESTICIDE USE AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS DECOMMISSIONING OF HYDRO POWER PROJECTS GRADUAL SHIFT FROM AGRICULTURAL LAND TO NATURAL FORESTS IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON WHATIT CALLED HIGHLY INTERVENTIONIST AND ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING ACTIVITIES IN THE ESZ ALL MINING AND RED-CATEGORY INDUSTRY (INCLUDING THERMAL POWER), AND BUILDINGS OVER 20,000 SQUARE METRES WOULD BE COMPLETELY BANNED. HYDROPOWER PROJECTS, THE PANEL SET TOUGH CONDITIONS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FLOW IN RIVERS AND DISTANCE BETWEEN PROJECTS.

34. RESPONSES OF THE STATES

35. KERALA, TAMIL NADU, GOA, KARNATAKA, MAHARASHTRA AND GUJARAT REJECTED THIS REPORT. THE UNION GOVERNMENT, MEANWHILE, ISSUED A DRAFT NOTIFICATION IN 2014 TO IMPLEMENT THE KASTURIRANGAN REPORT FOR PROTECTION OF THE RECOMMENDAED AREA. AFTER THIS, TWO OTHER NOTIFICATIONS WERE DRAFTED ON THE ISSUE IN 2015 AND 2017 BY THE UNION GOVERNMENT. THE KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT, HOWEVER, REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT AND FILED THEIR RESPONSE REJECTING THE COMMITTEE’S REPORT, AND SAID IT WILL HALT DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION. THE LOBBY TOLD THE PEOPLE THAT THE REPORT WAS AGAINST FARMERS AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE AREA, ETC . PEOPLE GOT REALLY WORRIED.

36. This made the states stand in the side of the people and made it clear that Declaration of the Western Ghat as ESA would cause problems to thousands of villagers living in the ghat region in the State and they would be asked to shift to other places if the report was implemented, it has been argued.

37. PROTESTS There were state wide protests against the Gadgil and Kasthurirangan Report which took a violent turn in many places . The church , religious organizations and many political leaders came against the Gadgil report. In most of the states the governments opposed the reports. Still it is not implemented……

38. RESEARCH PAPERS & E SOURCES https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263357268_Deforestation_and_land_use_changes_in_Western_Ghats_India https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/pets-and-environment/221218/western-ghats-facing-threat-of-development.html https://blog.forumias.com/threats-to-western-ghats-and-the-way-forward/ https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/implementing-gadgil-would-have-reduced-kerala-havoc/1287974/ https://www.clearias.com/gadgil-report-kasturirangan-report-western-ghats/ https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/01/02/kasturirangan-report-on-western-ghats/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats_Ecology_Expert_Panel https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i30qqv1DwgnP6aSJ7bz-VmL4fpwY0gSn/view https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/library/resource/report-of-the-western-ghats-ecology-expert-panel/ http://www.keralabiodiversity.org/images/pdf/wgeep.pdf NEWSPAPER REPORTS https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/article/explained-gadgil-report-on-erosion-in-western-ghats-and-implementation-hurdles/480086

39. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-govt-rejects-kasturirangan-report-western-ghats-plans-approach-sc-143331 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/panel-set-up-to-study-kasturirangan-report/article33087463.ece https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2018/09/04/gadgil-vs-kasturirangan-western-ghats-kerala-floods.html https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2020/dec/20/kasturirangan-report-its-friction-between-eco-balance-livelihood-2238721.html https://www.mathrubhumi.com/books/excerpts/gadgil-report-and-kasturirangan-report-on-western-ghats-1.3103838 YOUTUBE VIDEOS https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCedMu4CUcM https://www.youtube.com/embed/GwrJMmmccBg https://www.youtube.com/embed/gICQRfKukFY

40. THANK YOU !