Western Ghats ESA Notification Debate: Balancing Conservation and Livelihoods

The Hindu - Opinion · 2 Aug 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · Environment Mains · GS3 Environment and biodiversity High relevance

The ongoing debate over declaring Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats highlights the conflict between biodiversity conservation and local livelihoods, with States like Karnataka resisting due to economic concerns.

Key points

Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) recommended declaring 142 talukas as ESA in 2010, but faced opposition from States due to economic activity restrictions.

Kasturirangan Committee in 2012 reduced ESA coverage to 37% of Western Ghats, focusing on natural landscapes to ease economic restrictions.

Environment Protection Act, 1986 provides the legal framework for ESA notifications, but consensus remains elusive after multiple draft notifications since 2014.

Karnataka's resistance stems from ESA covering 20,668 sq km affecting agriculture, plantations, and mining in 10 districts housing 23.4% of its population.

[GS3-Environment] The Western Ghats host 39 biodiversity hotspots and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, underscoring their global ecological significance.

Forest Rights Act implementation issues surface as non-tribal residents face claim rejections despite long-standing habitation near protected areas.

[GS2-Governance] Stakeholder consultations reveal gaps in satellite-based ESA demarcation, with locals arguing it cannot distinguish plantations from forest cover.

Indigenous communities play a crucial conservation role, yet their inclusion in ESA planning remains inconsistent across State proposals.

Way Forward: Establish participatory mapping involving local communities, create differentiated zoning for agricultural/forest areas, and implement compensatory mechanisms for affected livelihoods through a dedicated Western Ghats Conservation Fund.

Key terms

Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)

Areas notified under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 to regulate human activities in fragile ecosystems. For UPSC, ESA declarations test federalism as they involve Centre-State negotiations on development-conservation balance, impacting GS2 (federalism) and GS3 (environment) topics.

Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP)

A 2010 committee chaired by Madhav Gadgil that recommended stringent protection for the Western Ghats. Its UPSC relevance lies in exemplifying science-policy interface challenges and the tension between ecological recommendations and political feasibility in environmental governance.

Kasturirangan Committee

The 2012 high-level working group that revised WGEEP recommendations to make them more politically acceptable. Important for UPSC as it demonstrates how expert committees balance ecological concerns with socioeconomic realities in policy formulation.

Environment Protection Act, 1986

The umbrella legislation for environmental regulation in India, under which ESA notifications are issued. For UPSC, this is fundamental to understanding the legal framework for conservation efforts and Centre's powers under Entry 13 of the Union List (Concurrent jurisdiction).