What is Karnataka’s objection to the ESA?

Environment and Ecology · 27 September 2026 · Based on The Hindu (original report)

2-minute summary

The Karnataka Legislature has unanimously passed a resolution rejecting the seventh draft notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to declare parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). This draft, based on the 2013 K. Kasturirangan Committee report, proposed declaring 37% (59,940 sq. km) of the Western Ghats across six states as an ESA. Karnataka holds the largest proposed share of this ESA, covering 20,668 sq. km across 1,576 villages. Successive Karnataka governments have rejected the draft since 2014, citing severe impacts on local livelihoods, agricultural activities, and infrastructure development in the Malnad region. The state argues that the demarcation relies heavily on satellite data rather than ground-truthing, leading to public anxiety. While environmentalists emphasize the urgent need to protect this fragile, landslide-prone biodiversity hotspot, the state demands a physical survey and the exclusion of human habitations and agricultural lands from the ESA scope.

Why it's in the news

On September 22, 2026, the Karnataka Legislature unanimously rejected the seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). This marks the seventh consecutive time the state has opposed the implementation of the K. Kasturirangan Committee recommendations.

Facts to remember

• The K. Kasturirangan Committee recommended declaring 37% (59,940 sq. km) of the Western Ghats across six states as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
• The Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) recommended designating the entire Western Ghats region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
• Article 51A(g) of the Constitution mandates a Fundamental Duty for every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.
• The K. Kasturirangan Committee divided the Western Ghats into 'cultural landscapes' (human settlements and agriculture) and 'natural landscapes' to balance development and conservation.

Background and context

The conservation debate of the Western Ghats—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and global biodiversity hotspot—began intensely with the Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report in 2011. The WGEEP recommended designating the entire Western Ghats region as an ESA, dividing it into three highly restricted Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ 1, 2, and 3). Due to strong resistance from all six states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala) over developmental paralysis, the Central Government constituted the K. Kasturirangan-led High-Level Working Group (HLWG) in 2012. The HLWG took a compromised approach, dividing the Ghats into 'cultural landscapes' (dominated by human settlements and agriculture) and 'natural landscapes'. It recommended declaring only the natural landscapes (about 37% of the total area, or 59,940 sq. km) as ESA, banning highly damaging activities like mining, quarrying, sand mining, and red-category industries, while regulating others. Despite this dilution, states continue to resist the draft notifications.

Constitutional provisions

• Article 48A — Directive Principles of State Policy directing the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.
• Article 51A(g) — Fundamental Duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.
• Article 21 — The Right to Life, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to encompass the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Committees and reports

• Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) / Madhav Gadgil Committee — Recommended designating the entire Western Ghats as an ESA with strict, bottom-up environmental governance through local Gram Sabhas.
• High-Level Working Group (HLWG) on Western Ghats / K. Kasturirangan Committee — Recommended a balanced approach, designating 37% of the Western Ghats as ESA, banning mining, thermal power, and highly polluting industries.

Government schemes

• Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 — Used as the regulatory framework under which developmental projects within 10 km of the proposed Western Ghats ESA are to be monitored.

International organisations

• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) — Designated the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site in 2012, recognizing it as one of the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity.

Mains practice: The persistent resistance of state governments to the Western Ghats ESA notifications highlights the deep-seated conflict between ecological conservation and regional developmental aspirations. Analyze this statement and suggest a cooperative federal framework to resolve the deadlock.

The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, regulates India's monsoonal regime and acts as a vital water tower for peninsular India. However, the implementation of the K. Kasturirangan Committee's recommendations to declare 37% of the region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) has faced over a decade of resistance from states, particularly Karnataka.

• **Key Structural Conflicts:**

1. **Livelihood vs. Conservation:** States argue that banning activities like mining, quarrying, and large-scale construction directly impacts local employment and agrarian economies, especially in regions like Malnad (Karnataka).

2. **Methodological Discrepancies:** States claim the ESA boundaries were demarcated using satellite imagery without physical 'ground-truthing,' leading to the inclusion of human habitations, plantations, and agricultural lands.

3. **Developmental Constraints:** Infrastructure projects, including roads, power lines, and minor irrigation, face stringent environmental clearances, which states fear will isolate forest-dwelling and rural communities.

4. **Top-down Federalism:** States feel that unilateral draft notifications by the Central Ministry (MoEFCC) bypass the constitutional principle of democratic decentralization and local consent.

• **Way Forward and Cooperative Framework:**

1. **Participatory Ground-Truthing:** Emulating Kerala's model, states should conduct physical, village-level surveys to demarcate actual natural landscapes, excluding dense human settlements.

2. **Incentivizing Green Growth:** Implementing the Kasturirangan Committee's recommendation for fiscal incentives and 'Payment for Ecosystem Services' (PES) to reward local communities for conservation.

3. **Empowering Gram Sabhas:** Aligning conservation efforts with the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the PESA Act, ensuring local communities are partners in conservation rather than victims of displacement.

In conclusion, ecological security cannot be achieved through administrative fiat. A balanced approach that integrates local economic aspirations with scientific conservation is vital to preserving the Western Ghats from climate-induced disasters like landslides while ensuring sustainable regional development.

Prelims practice questions

Q1. With reference to the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in India, consider the following statements: 1. ESAs are declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. 2. The K. Kasturirangan Committee recommended declaring the entire geographical area of the Western Ghats as an ESA. 3. Among the six Western Ghats states, Karnataka has the largest proposed area under the draft ESA notification. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B. Statement 1 is incorrect: ESAs are declared under Section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Statement 2 is incorrect: The Madhav Gadgil Committee (WGEEP) recommended declaring the entire Western Ghats as ESA, whereas the Kasturirangan Committee (HLWG) recommended only 37% of the area. Statement 3 is correct: Karnataka has the largest proposed ESA area (20,668 sq. km) among the six states.

Q2. The Western Ghats span across how many states in India?

1. Five
2. Seven
3. Six
4. Four

Answer: C. The Western Ghats stretch across six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Q3. Which of the following activities are recommended to be completely banned within the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) as per the Kasturirangan Committee report? 1. Sand mining and quarrying 2. Thermal power plants 3. Red-category highly polluting industries 4. All run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: A. The Kasturirangan report recommended a complete ban on mining, quarrying, sand extraction, thermal power plants, and red-category industries. However, it did not ban all hydroelectric projects; instead, it allowed them subject to strict environmental clearances and conditions (thus statement 4 is incorrect).

Revision flashcards

• Under which central legislation are Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) notified in India? Section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• What is the primary difference between the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports regarding the extent of the Western Ghats ESA? The Gadgil Committee (WGEEP) recommended 100% of the Western Ghats be declared an ESA, while the Kasturirangan Committee (HLWG) scaled it down to 37%.
• Which six Indian states contain parts of the Western Ghats? Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• Which state has the largest proposed ESA coverage under the Kasturirangan Committee report? Karnataka, with 20,668 sq. km across 1,576 villages.
• What is 'ground-truthing' in the context of the Western Ghats ESA dispute? The physical, on-the-ground verification of ecological boundaries to correct errors made by remote-sensing/satellite-based mapping.