State government Seeks to Redefine Environmental Micro-zone Boundaries

Bengaluru: The Karnataka state government is gearing up to redefine the boundaries of the eco-sensitive zone in response to the draft notification issued by the central government in March 2024 regarding the conservation of the Western Ghats ecological microzone. The central government has mandated that states, including Karnataka, provide their consent before the final notification is released by the Union Environment Ministry.

A decade ago, the central government had formed a 10-member committee led by former ISRO chairman Kasthurirangan to review the conservation report for the Western Ghats. While the central government accepted the committee's report, Karnataka had yet to clarify its stance on the matter. The Western Ghats, spanning Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, is identified as an ecologically sensitive zone, covering an area of 59,940 sq km. In Karnataka, districts such as Shimoga, Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysore, and Chamaraja Nagar are included in the scope, with 1,576 villages falling under the eco-sensitive zone.

In a bid to exclude areas that might be adversely affected, the state government is currently working to include only uninhabited regions in the micro-zone. Forest Minister Ishwara Khandre emphasized the importance of balancing biodiversity preservation with safeguarding the traditional way of life in the Western Ghats.

The central government has dispatched an expert committee led by Sanjay Kumar to engage in discussions with the state government, local representatives, and residents of the Western Ghats regarding the Kasthurirangan report. The committee has already initiated discussions with government representatives and will proceed to consult with people's representatives and residents who oppose the report's implementation.