Conservation of Western Ghats: Section of residents, environmentalists against claims of Karnataka politicians
Activists say the Kasturirangan report may not be reliable but is “desperately needed” to protect what is left of the Western Ghats. | Photo credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
The debate on the protection of the Western Ghats, especially in Karnataka, is far from over.
While the Karnataka legislature passed a unanimous resolution on September 22 urging the Center to restrict the ecologically sensitive area (ESA) identified in the Kasturirangan report to notified forest areas only, sections of the population in the Western Ghats districts and environmentalists termed the claims of ministers and politicians as “misleading”.
They have started creating awareness about the provisions of the report among the residents and are urging people to read it to understand why its implementation is necessary for the Western Ghats.
Akhilesh Chipli, an environmentalist based in Sagara taluk, said that copies of the draft ESA notification were printed in Kannada for the benefit of the public. “This matter has been politicized for votes, regardless of party affiliation. They are trying to protect illegal assets,” he alleged.
Batting told ESA that more than 80% of the areas identified in the report are already protected in some form, but legal protection is required for the remaining areas. “For example, in Sagara, a 2,000 acre nuclear power project was proposed a few months ago at Besuru village in Avinahalli hobli. There is no reserve or protected forest here, but it includes the backwaters of Sharavathi. By default, it comes under ESA, which means red category projects will not be allowed there. There are nearly 4,000 km of such lands in Karnatakas western regions. Do they enjoy legal protection, don’t they need protection too?” he asked.
Col (retd) CP Muthanna, coordinator of the Save Kodagu and Cauvery campaign, said politicians have lost sight of the reason the report was prepared. “It started with the Gadgil report and was later diluted into the Kasturirangan report. The need is simple. The entire Western Ghats, from Gujarat to Kerala, is a watershed for peninsular India. It is crucial for water security. The reality is that there is a lot of money to be made from destruction and construction. These hills have mining potential that ESA should have no sense of protecting. There should be no restriction on commercial activities. part Kodagu as the entire district is a catchment area for the Cauvery,” he said. He also described as “misleading” claims that the report would prevent people from building houses or drying agricultural produce in their backyards.
HA Kishor, an environmental activist from Hassan, said the Kasturirangan report may not be reliable but is “desperately needed” to protect what is left of the Western Ghats. “It is a water reservoir in South India. Human-animal conflict has also increased in Malnad due to destruction of habitats and corridors in the name of development, including hydel projects and river diversions. People claim that several legal frameworks are already in place but their implementation has failed. Implementation of the Kasturirangan report will help curb activities like mining,” he said.
He claimed that the mining and timber mafia was using farmers as a front to oppose such protection. At the same time, he said the concern of genuine farmers stems from the fact that many who have been cultivating land for income under the proposed ESA do not have required documents such as hakku patras. “Some also fear that land values in Malnad will go down because of these protections,” he added.
Published – 25 Sep 2026 21:14 IST