ESA protests driven by ‘hidden agenda’ environmental groups blame

The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) said people should understand the rationale and objectives of identifying the ESA before opposing the proposal. | Photo credit: H. VIBHU (FILE PHOTO)

Environmental groups have criticized the ongoing protests against the reissued draft notification that proposes to declare parts of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA), alleging that vested interests are behind the agitation.

Conservation groups have claimed that those opposed to the proposal have a “hidden agenda”. The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) said people should understand the rationale and objectives of identifying the ESA before opposing the proposal. The organization said the goals include protecting biodiversity and wildlife habitats in the Western Ghats, reducing the risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides, protecting watersheds and ensuring water availability during droughts, mitigating the effects of climate change and promoting sustainable development.

The organization dismissed concerns that ESA restrictions would drive people off their land or destroy their livelihoods.

“The Western Ghats is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. Conservation does not mean evicting people, but preventing ecological damage caused by unregulated development,” said WPSS President N. Badusha.

Environmentalists said the High-Level Working Group (HLWG) on the Western Ghats, led by K. Kasturirangan, distinguished between natural and cultural landscapes, the latter including human-dominated land uses such as settlements and agriculture. The HLWG report identified biologically rich parts of natural landscapes as ESAs, while large cultural landscapes were excluded from ESAs. Environmental protection would further help protect farmers and local communities from the adverse effects of climate change, conservationists added.

Because of concerns about restrictions on agriculture and other activities, they said the ESA regulations primarily sought to ban activities such as mining and quarrying, polluting industries in the red category, and large construction projects exceeding 20,000 m2. Existing agriculture, residences and small industries will not be affected, environmentalists argued.

ESZ is a “shock absorber”

The Animal and Nature Ethics Community (ANEC) Trust, an animal welfare and conservation organisation, said that declaring regions outside protected areas, such as national parks and nature reserves, as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZs) would act as “buffers” that could reduce the environmental impact of unregulated development.

The organizations argued that protests against the ESA proposal were ultimately aimed at protecting the interests of mining, forest degradation and land mafias.

The Union Environment Ministry issued the seventh draft notification on July 27, 2026 after the previous draft expired. The latest proposal proposes to cover 56,825.7 sq km in six states, including 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala. The proposal remains open for objections and suggestions until September 25, 2026.

Published – 12 Sep 2026 17:22 IST