Karnataka's legislature asks the Centre to shrink the Western Ghats eco-sensitive area
Conservation zone or livelihood threat? A decade-old fight returns to the Assembly.
Published 23 September 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
Both Houses of the Karnataka legislature unanimously adopted a resolution on 22 September rejecting, in its present form, the seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), which the Union government issued on 27 July 2026 based on the Kasturirangan report. The resolution was moved during a special session that also discussed the State's drought situation, after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, ministers and legislators visited Udupi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan to hear residents.
The draft places about 20,668 sq km covering 1,449 villages in 10 Karnataka districts inside the ESA. Karnataka objects that the boundaries were drawn largely from satellite data without joint physical surveys, so they do not separate forests from farmland, plantations, houses and public facilities, and that an entire village can fall inside the ESA merely because one-fifth of its area is classified as forest. This, it says, would create problems for house construction, division of family property and inheritance.
The resolution asks that only notified forests and other forest areas be included in the ESA, excluding land already granted or settled, and seeks one year for a plot-level survey. It also points to unresolved issues such as 'bagair hukum' land regularisation applications, forest rights claims, deemed forests and pending court cases. Karnataka had opposed the previous draft notification of 31 July 2024 as well.
Prelims facts
- The Gadgil panel (WGEEP, 2011) proposed treating about 64% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
- The Kasturirangan working group (2013) reduced this to about 37%, focusing on natural landscapes.
- Eco-sensitive areas are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; the Centre has issued several draft notifications without a final one.
Quick recall
- What did the Gadgil panel (WGEEP, 2011) recommend?
- Treating about 64% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, with graded zones and local participation.
- What did the Kasturirangan working group (2013) recommend?
- About 37% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, focusing on natural landscapes.
- Under which law are Ecologically Sensitive Areas notified?
- The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- When did the Centre issue the seventh draft Western Ghats ESA notification?
- On 27 July 2026.
- How much of Karnataka does the draft ESA cover?
- About 20,668 sq km covering 1,449 villages in 10 districts.
- What did the Karnataka legislature's resolution ask for?
- That only notified forests and other forest areas be included in the ESA, and one year for a plot-level survey.
- What is Karnataka's main technical objection?
- Boundaries were drawn from satellite data without joint physical surveys, so farms, plantations and houses were included.
- How many States do the Western Ghats span?
- Six: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Prelims practice question
The High-Level Working Group on the Western Ghats that recommended about 37% of the region as ecologically sensitive was headed by:
- Madhav Gadgil
- K. Kasturirangan
- M.S. Swaminathan
- B.N. Srikrishna
Show answer
Answer: (b) K. Kasturirangan. The Kasturirangan working group (2013) reduced the Gadgil panel's 64% to about 37%.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Conservation versus development in ecologically fragile regions
- How to use this
Gives a live case of the clash between local development needs and disaster-risk reduction in the Western Ghats, with a workable compromise.
- On 22 September Karnataka's legislature rejected, in its present form, the Centre's seventh draft ESA notification (27 July 2026), which covers about 20,668 sq km and 1,449 villages in 10 districts.
- Landslides and floods in Kerala (2018) and Wayanad (2024) have been linked to quarrying and land-use change, the cost of delaying protection.
- Suggest a compromise: village-level ground truthing, regulating harmful activities rather than all development, payments for ecosystem services and gram sabha participation.
Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
How to use thisSupplies Western Ghats-specific human triggers of landslides and the regulatory response, for that half of the comparison.
- The Kerala (2018) and Wayanad (2024) landslides and floods have been linked to quarrying and land-use change in the Western Ghats.
- The Gadgil panel (2011) proposed about 64% of the Ghats as sensitive with curbs on mining and quarrying; the Kasturirangan group (2013) cut this to about 37%.
- The Kasturirangan approach bans mining, quarrying and red-category industries within the ESA, but no final notification has been issued.
The eco-sensitive area Karnataka wants reduced traces back to the Kasturirangan report, which itself scaled down the Gadgil panel's recommendation.
Mains practice question
Balancing ecology and livelihoods in the Western Ghats has proved difficult for over a decade. Critically examine, with reference to the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports. (250 words)
Model answer
The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global biodiversity hotspot, span six States and feed the major peninsular rivers. The Centre has tried for over a decade to notify an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), but States keep resisting.
Two approaches
- Gadgil panel (2011): about 64% of the Ghats as sensitive, graded zones, bottom-up governance through gram sabhas, and curbs on mining and quarrying.
- Kasturirangan group (2013): about 37%, limited to natural landscapes; cultural landscapes like farms and settlements left out; ban on mining, quarrying and red-category industries within the ESA.
Why States resist
- Fear of restrictions on housing, roads and plantations in villages inside the ESA.
- Mistrust from the top-down process and poor consultation.
- Economic pressure from mining and tourism.
- Karnataka now wants the ESA confined to notified forests, which would exclude much of the ecologically important non-forest land.
Costs of delay
- Landslides and floods in Kerala (2018) and Wayanad (2024) have been linked to quarrying and land-use change.
- Loss of endemic species and water security for the peninsula.
Way forward
- Village-level ground truthing so that farms and homes are clearly mapped and protected.
- Regulate harmful activities rather than all development.
- Payments for ecosystem services and eco-tourism incomes for local communities.
- Build gram sabha participation, the missing element of both reports.
Conservation that ignores livelihoods fails politically; development that ignores ecology fails physically. A participatory, clearly mapped ESA is the only durable compromise.
The basics
Why this matters
The Western Ghats are one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and the source of rivers that feed much of peninsular India. The Centre has tried for over a decade to notify an Ecologically Sensitive Area to limit mining, quarrying and large projects there. Karnataka's legislature has now rejected the latest draft, highlighting the clash between conservation and livelihoods.
Two reports, two approaches
The Gadgil Committee (2011) proposed protecting about 64% of the Ghats with graded zones and local participation. The Kasturirangan Committee (2013) reduced this to about 37%, focusing on natural landscapes.
- About 64% sensitive
- Three graded zones
- Bottom-up, gram sabha role
- About 37% sensitive
- Natural versus cultural landscapes
- Top-down notification
What Karnataka objects to
The State argues the boundaries were drawn from satellite data without ground surveys.
- 1Satellite mappingNo joint physical survey of land.
- 2Whole villages includedIf about one-fifth of area is forest.
- 3Private land swept inFarms, plantations and homes.
- 4Unsettled claimsForest rights, land grants and court cases pending.
How we got here
Draft notifications have lapsed repeatedly.
- 2011Gadgil report
- 2013Kasturirangan report
- 2014 onwardsRepeated draft notifications
- 31 Jul 2024Draft opposed by Karnataka
- 27 Jul 2026Seventh draft
- 22 Sep 2026Karnataka legislature rejects it
What is at stake
Unregulated land-use change raises landslide and flood risk, as the Wayanad landslides 2024 showed. An Ecologically Sensitive Area restricts only harmful activities, but people fear it will affect homes and farms, which is why accurate boundaries matter.
You now know
- Gadgil (2011) proposed about 64% protection; Kasturirangan (2013) about 37%.
- ESAs are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- The seventh draft (27 July 2026) covers 20,668 sq km of Karnataka.
- Karnataka wants the ESA limited to notified forests after a plot-level survey.
Go deeper
In one line: Karnataka's legislature has rejected the latest plan to protect the Western Ghats, saying satellite-drawn boundaries sweep in farms and homes.
Why it matters for UPSC
GS3 environment and GS1 geography both cover the Western Ghats. The Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports are among the most-asked environmental topics.
The core idea
An Ecologically Sensitive Area restricts harmful activities like mining and quarrying to protect ecosystems. The Gadgil Committee wanted about 64% of the Ghats protected with local participation; the Kasturirangan Committee cut it to about 37%. The Centre has issued draft notifications seven times without finalising one. Karnataka's core complaint is technical: whole villages fall inside the ESA because part of their area is forest, and boundaries were not surveyed on the ground.
The deeper tension is between conservation and livelihoods, and between the Centre and States.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 64% (Gadgil, 2011) versus 37% (Kasturirangan, 2013).
- 20,668 sq km and 1,449 villages in Karnataka under the 2026 draft.
- 27 July 2026: seventh draft notification.
Where to go next
- Gadgil Committee: The stronger, participatory model
- Kasturirangan Committee: The compromise
- Ecologically Sensitive Area: What the label restricts
- Wayanad landslides 2024: The cost of land-use change
In one line: The Western Ghats dispute is less about whether to protect the region than about who decides boundaries and how livelihoods are protected.
What an ESA restricts
The Ecologically Sensitive Area drafts propose banning mining, quarrying, sand mining, new thermal power plants and large construction and townships, and regulating red-category industries. Farming and existing homes are not banned.
Why States resist
- Mapping errors put farms and homes inside the ESA.
- Fear of restrictions on house construction, property division and inheritance.
- Political pressure from plantation and settler communities.
Why ecologists worry
Quarrying and road cutting on steep slopes raise landslide risk; the Wayanad landslides 2024 killed more than 200 people.
A middle path
- Plot-level ground truthing with gram sabhas, as the Gadgil Committee suggested.
- Clear lists of permitted activities.
- Compensation and support for affected households.
- Using the Kasturirangan Committee framework as a floor, not a ceiling.
Where to go next
- Gadgil Committee: The stronger, participatory model
- Kasturirangan Committee: The compromise
- Ecologically Sensitive Area: What the label restricts
- Wayanad landslides 2024: The cost of land-use change
Gadgil Committee
The stronger, participatory model
In one line: The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, chaired by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, reported in 2011.
Recommendations
It proposed treating about 64% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, divided into three zones with graded restrictions, and a Western Ghats Ecology Authority.
Approach
Bottom-up, with gram sabhas deciding local land use.
Reception
States rejected it as too restrictive, leading to the Kasturirangan review.
Where to go next
- Kasturirangan Committee: The compromise
- Ecologically Sensitive Area: What the label restricts
Kasturirangan Committee
The compromise
In one line: A High-Level Working Group headed by K. Kasturirangan reviewed the Gadgil report and reported in 2013.
Recommendations
It classified about 37% of the Western Ghats, roughly 60,000 sq km, as ecologically sensitive, focusing on natural landscapes and excluding most cultural (inhabited, farmed) landscapes.
Restrictions
A ban on mining, quarrying, sand mining and polluting industries in the ESA.
Status
Draft notifications based on it have been issued repeatedly since 2014 but not finalised.
Where to go next
- Gadgil Committee: The stronger, participatory model
- Ecologically Sensitive Area: What the label restricts
Ecologically Sensitive Area
What the label restricts
In one line: An Ecologically Sensitive Area is a region notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 where harmful activities are restricted.
How it differs
Unlike national parks, people continue to live and farm in ESAs; only specified activities are banned or regulated.
Related concept
Eco-sensitive zones are buffers around protected areas, also notified under the same Act.
Why boundaries matter
Inaccurate mapping can include homes and farms, triggering local opposition.
Where to go next
- Gadgil Committee: The stronger, participatory model
- Kasturirangan Committee: The compromise
Ecologically Sensitive Area: every story that connects to it (2)
Wayanad landslides 2024
The cost of land-use change
In one line: On 30 July 2024, massive landslides struck villages including Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Kerala's Wayanad district, killing more than 200 people.
Causes
Extreme rainfall on steep, fragile slopes, with experts also pointing to land-use change, quarrying and weak early warning.
Link to the ESA debate
Parts of the affected area lie in zones proposed as ecologically sensitive, which revived calls to implement Western Ghats protection.
Lessons
Landslide mapping, early warning and limits on construction in high-risk slopes.
Where to go next
- Gadgil Committee: The stronger, participatory model
- Kasturirangan Committee: The compromise
Take the 23 September 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers