WESTERN GHATS ESA DRAFT NOTIFICATION 2026: PROVISIONS, CHALLENGES, WAY FORWARD

Why In News?

The Union Ministry of Environment notification proposes an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) across six states in the Western Ghats, re-igniting intense Centre–State federal debates and regional protests over conservation versus socio-economic livelihoods.

What Are the Key Features of the 7th Draft ESA Notification?

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) draft notification proposes an ESA covering 56,825.7 sq. km across Gujarat (449 sq. km), Maharashtra (17,340 sq. km), Goa (1,461 sq. km), Karnataka (20,668 sq. km), Tamil Nadu (6,914 sq. km), and Kerala (9,993.7 sq. km).

It imposes a complete ban on new mining, quarrying, and sand extraction, requiring existing mining leases inside the ESA to be phased out within 5 years or upon lease expiry.

It prohibits new thermal power plants, expansion of existing thermal units, new 'Red Category' polluting industries, and large construction/township projects exceeding 20,000 sq. metres built-up area or 50 hectares total area.

New hydropower projects are permitted subject to strict conditions, including a minimum distance of 3 km between projects, cumulative basin studies, and maintaining an uninterrupted ecological flow of at least 30% during lean seasons.

What is an Ecologically Sensitive Area?

An Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) is an ecologically fragile region notified by the Central Government under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Objective: The core purpose of an ESA is to create a regulatory buffer zone around fragile ecosystems to prevent environmental degradation without placing a complete freeze on socio-economic life.

Prohibited Activities:

• Complete ban on mining, quarrying, and sand mining, with existing mining leases phased out within 5 years or upon lease expiry.

• Complete ban on new thermal power plants or expansion of existing units.

• Prohibitions on new 'Red Category' polluting industries.

• Ban on new building, construction, township, and area development projects exceeding 20,000 sq. metres built-up area or 50 hectares total area.

Regulated Activities: New hydropower projects are permitted subject to prior environmental clearances, a minimum distance of 3 km between projects, cumulative basin impact studies, and maintaining an uninterrupted ecological flow of at least 30% during lean seasons.

Permitted Activities: Normal agricultural practices, plantation management, repair or renovation of existing residential houses, health care establishments, and low-impact 'Orange' and 'White' category industries are fully permitted.

Significance of the Western Ghats

Biodiversity Hotspot & UNESCO Heritage: Running 1,500 km to 1,600 km parallel to India's western coast across six states, the Western Ghats is recognized as one of the world's eight hottest biodiversity hotspots and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.

High Endemism: The range harbors over 4,000 species of flowering plants (with high endemism) and rich faunal groups exhibiting endemism rates between 11% and 78%.

Flagship Species & Unique Habitat: Home to globally endangered species such as the Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, Asian Elephant, Tiger, and Gaur, alongside specialized habitats like Shola forests, Myristica swamps, montane grasslands, and late-stage laterite plateaus.

Major River Systems & Monsoon Influence: The range intercepts moisture-laden South-West Monsoon winds, serving as the primary hydrological catchment for peninsular rivers including the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Tungabhadra, and Periyar.

Ecosystem & Climate Services: Provides essential ecosystem services—acting as a major national carbon sink, regulating regional microclimates, and supporting water and food security for over 50 million people.

Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Western Ghats

Ecological Droughts: An empirical study by IIT Kharagpur (2025) in Nature Communications Earth & Environment revealed that meteorological aridity (23.9%), ocean warming (18.2%), land evaporative aridity (14%), and atmospheric dryness (12.4%) are driving widespread vegetation browning across the Western Ghats.

Carbon Sink Degradation: Prolonged moisture deficits and deforestation risk converting the Western Ghats from vital national carbon sinks into net carbon sources, accelerating regional climate feedback loops.

Demographic Stress: Human population in sensitive zones grew by 40% to 60% between 2000 and 2019, causing intense land-use fragmentation and habitat degradation.

Disaster Cascades: Unplanned construction, slope modifications, and illegal quarrying have significantly elevated landslide frequencies in mountain sub-clusters during extreme monsoon downpours.

Challenges In Expanding ESA In Western Ghat

Livelihood & Agricultural Concerns: Farmers fear losing land ownership rights, facing restrictions on crop choices, or suffering displacement due to rigid conservation guidelines.

Mapping Accuracy & Remote Sensing Errors: Coarse aerial mapping led to significant ground discrepancies, accidentally placing densely populated rubber plantations, orchards, and urbanized villages inside proposed ESA boundaries.

Mining & Infrastructure Pressure: Environmentalists criticize the report for leaving 63% of the Western Ghats open to commercial exploitation, while infrastructure advocates complain about procedural hurdles for essential public projects.

Centre-State Policy Friction: Repeated issuance of draft notifications by the Centre without resolving state assembly objections has created administrative gridlock.

Threat of Ecological Droughts: A 2025 study by IIT Kharagpur published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment revealed that meteorological aridity (23.9%), ocean warming (18.2%), land evaporative aridity (14%), and atmospheric dryness (12.4%) are accelerating vegetation browning across the Western Ghats, threatening to convert these vital carbon sinks into net carbon sources.

Way Forward

Ground-Level Verification over Remote Sensing Shift from satellite-only mapping to physical, village-level surveys (emulating the Kerala Model) to accurately separate natural forests from plantations.

Integration of Drone and LiDAR Technology: Deploy high-resolution LiDAR and drone imagery alongside ground-truthing to correct boundary errors and establish precise village-level spatial maps.

Local Community & Gram Sabha Consultation: Involve Panchayati Raj Institutions and Gram Sabhas under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 to obtain prior informed consent and build local stewardship.

Landscape-Based Conservation & Scientific Demarcation: Implement carrying-capacity studies for tourism and infrastructure while ensuring uninterrupted ecological corridors for wildlife movement.

Climate-Smart Ecosystem Management: Implement IIT Kharagpur recommendations: Reforest with native drought-tolerant species and establish an Ecological Drought Monitoring Network (AI + Satellite).

Phased ESA Notification: Utilize the 7th Draft’s new provision to notify ESAs state-by-state, rather than waiting for 6-state unanimous consensus.

Conclusion

Synthesizing scientific conservation with local socio-economic realities through cooperative federalism is the only path to safeguard the Western Ghats as an enduring carbon sink and water tower for Peninsular India.

Source: DECCANHERALD