Karnataka wants Kasturirangan report reviewed, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• The Karnataka Assembly has passed a resolution rejecting the Kasturirangan Report in its current form.
• The resolution seeks a review of the report's seventh draft, which identifies 20,668 sq km across 1,449 villages in 10 districts as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA).
• Chief Minister D K Shivakumar stated that legislators consider the report "unscientific" as it relies solely on satellite data, necessitating ground truthing and physical surveys.
• Karnataka plans to form a high-level panel, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to monitor the physical survey.
• An all-party delegation from the state will meet the Prime Minister and the Union Forest Minister to discuss the issue.

Detailed Insights:

• The Kasturirangan Report was constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 2012 to examine the recommendations of the earlier Gadgil Report on the Western Ghats.
• The report proposes a balanced approach to conserve the Western Ghats by identifying Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) while promoting sustainable development and considering local livelihoods.
• Karnataka's opposition stems from concerns that implementing the report would adversely affect the livelihoods of people in the region and impede developmental activities.
• The Gadgil Report (2010) had recommended declaring the entire Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area with graded protection, which faced significant criticism for its stringent approach.
• The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity, crucial for regulating the Indian monsoon and supporting rich endemic flora and fauna.
• The Kasturirangan Report suggested that approximately 37% (around 60,000 sq km) of the Western Ghats should be designated as ESA, with bans on mining, quarrying, and polluting industries in these zones.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Kasturirangan Report: A report recommending conservation measures for the Western Ghats, identifying Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) based on a balance between conservation and development.
• Western Ghats: A mountain range in India, recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage Site, spanning six states.
• Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA): Regions notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, requiring special protection due to their ecological importance and vulnerability.
• Ground Truthing: The process of verifying information obtained from remote sensing or satellite imagery through direct observation and measurement on the ground.
• Gadgil Report: An earlier report (2010) by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), which proposed declaring the entire Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area with strict restrictions.
• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: An umbrella legislation in India providing a framework for environmental regulation, protection, and improvement, under which ESAs are notified.