More time for Western Ghats panel as eco-sensitive area deadlock continues

📌 Summary:

• An expert committee set up in 2022 by the Union environment ministry to examine states' objections on demarcating Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats got a one-year extension (till July 2027)
• The extension was granted as the deadlock over finalising ESAs continues; the July 31, 2024 draft notification (the sixth iteration) has lapsed
• The 2024 draft had declared 56,825.7 sq km of the Ghats as ESA across six states — Gujarat (449 sq km), Maharashtra (17,340), Goa (1,461), Karnataka (20,668), Tamil Nadu (6,914) and Kerala (9,993.7)
• Talks to finalise ESAs in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat are in advanced stages; a revised Maharashtra proposal is being appraised, and fresh consultations held with the new Congress-led Kerala government
• The committee, headed by former DG (Forests) Sanjay Kumar, includes experts in ecology, remote sensing, space application and geology
• The Western Ghats is a ~1,500 km mountain chain and one of the world's eight 'hottest biodiversity hotspots', home to ~2,000 plant species and many endemic fauna

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Environment — biodiversity conservation, ESA/EIA framework, and Centre–state friction over ecological regulation

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of 8 'hottest' global biodiversity hotspots
• ESAs are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
• The Gadgil (2011) and Kasturirangan (2013) reports underpin the ESA demarcation debate

🔑 Key Term: Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) — a zone notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, where certain activities are regulated or prohibited to protect fragile ecosystems.