Scientist, 'people's ecologist', voice of Western Ghats, forests, rivers, communities, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• Madhav Gadgil, a pioneer in ecological sciences and champion of environment protection, passed away at the age of 83 in Pune.
• Gadgil chaired the Western Ghats Expert Ecology Panel (WGEEP), advocating for safeguards for the fragile Western Ghats.
• The WGEEP report designated the entire 1,29,037 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) with varying levels of restrictions.
• The report faced political opposition, leading to the formation of the Kasturirangan panel, which proposed a smaller area of 56,825 sq km as ecologically sensitive.

Detailed Insights:

• Madhav Gadgil's early interest in bird watching and meeting with Salim Ali influenced his decision to become a field ecologist.
• Gadgil founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), which became a prominent center for ecological studies.
• The WGEEP report recommended restrictions on genetically modified crops, new mining licenses, and major infrastructure projects in Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs).
• The Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot, are the origin of major rivers like Cauvery, Godavari, Krishna, Periyar, and Netravathi, making their protection crucial.
• The Kasturirangan panel identified specific villages as ESAs, leading to multiple draft notifications by the Centre to demarcate these areas.
• The Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) was proposed as a multi-state body for regulating activities impacting ESZs, but it was never implemented.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA): A region recognized for its environmental importance and biodiversity, requiring special protections.
• Western Ghats: A mountain range in India known for its biodiversity, endemism, and role as a water source for peninsular India.
• Endemism: The ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone.