Western Ghats

Western Ghats

Western Ghats and ESA

The Western Ghats extend from Gujarat at its northern limit and extend across the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa, down to Kerala in the south. They are the source of several rivers, Godavari, Cauvery, Krishna, Tunga, Bhadra and Netravathi. The Ghats are also home to some of most diverse animal, bird and reptilian species. It is no wonder then that the Ghats are recognized by UNESCO as one among the world’s eight most important biodiversity hotspots, which must be preserved for posterity. The Ghats form an ecological zone and must be conserved for continued sustainability of the entire nation, chiefly the southern and western states. Furthermore, economically important plants such as coffee, tea, jackfruit, mango and spices like vanilla, pepper and cardamom are grown in this region.

This vast area is under constant danger of degradation. Its bio-diversity being threatened as the habitat is degraded and the thick forests are under severe pressure from overgrazing, illicit wood-felling, forest fires and poaching. Illegal mining operations and housing also threaten the ecological balance nudging it towards a threshold beyond which it can never be regenerated.

Imagine a point in future, where the ghats and all the rare avi-fauna are irretrievably lost to our future generations! The time has now come for of us to act, without prevarication or live in regret forever…

Ecologically Sensitive Area or ESA

The Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has belatedly decided to implement the Kasturirangan report with several modifications. Notification dated Oct 04, 2018 for the declaration of 56,825 sqkm or 37% of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA) (http://envfor.nic.in/content/esa-notifications).

Dodamarg-Sawantwadi Forest

While the notification declaring an area ESA places restrictions on mining, quarrying, thermal power plants, setting up of industries, construction, it has critically omitted the Dodamarg-Sawantwadi forest from the ESA. This forest along the Maharashtra-Goa border is an important elephant and tiger corridor and connects the Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolhapur in Maharashtra to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. This is despite the 2013 Bombay high court decision requesting Maharashtra government to declare the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor an ESA.

An appeal
 

This is an appeal to everyone to object to non-inclusion of the 38kmx10km Sawantwadi-Dodamarg forest as ESA. Please send your objections to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor bagh Road, Ali Ganj, New Delhi-110003
or e-mail at: esz-mef@nic.in

You may use the template below or create your own.

To
The Secretary,
Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change
New Delhi-110003

Dear Sir / Madam,

Subject: Request to include the 38kmx10km Sawantwadi-Dodamarg forest as ESA in notification dated Oct 04, 2018

With regard to the above subject, I kindly request you to include the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg forest, which forms an important wild-life corridor, as ESA in the notification dated Oct 04, 2018.

Name (include full name)
e-mail ID

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