UNESCO's World Heritage
Committee inscribed the Western Ghats of India as a world heritage site on July
1.The tag came at the 36th
session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in St
Petersburg in Russia .
Altogether 39 sites that dot the Western Ghats landscape will be part of the
region that has been designated as World Heritage Site.Kerala leads with 20
sites being inscribed in the heritage list followed by Karnataka with ten, Tamil Nadu five and Maharashtra four.
List of Western Ghats World Heritage
clusters in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and TN
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Kaas Plateau
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Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary
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Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary
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KARNATAKA
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Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
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Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
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Padinalknad Reserved
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Kerti Reserved
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Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
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Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary
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Someshwara Reserved
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Agumbe Reserved
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Balahalli Reserved
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KERALA - TAMILNADU
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Kalakad- Tiger Reserve,
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Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary,
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Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary,
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Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
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Periyar Tiger Reserve
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Srivilliputtur Wildlife
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Parambikulam Wildlife
Sanctuary,
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Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
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Mannavan Shola
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New
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Attapadi Reserved
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Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
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While environmentalists
are rejoicing that constant international scrutiny will curb amassment of
forest wealth by vested interests, the state governments have given a guarded
reaction. Skeptics are of the view that the tag willmake little difference to many ecologicaly destructive projects that have been
implemented or are proposed in the Western Ghats .
Recognition Comes After
Rejection
The world heritage tag for the Western Ghats
has come after many glitches. The proposal for including 39 sites in the Western Ghats as world heritage was rejected by the World
Heritage Committee in its 35th meeting last year. When the proposal for it was
re-submitted for consideration this year, it was once again on the verge of
getting rejected. The
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) suggested that India should
review and refine the proposal to redefine the boundaries of the proposed sites
to maintain the contiguity of the forests.
The Indiandelegation in St Petersburg ,
however, managed to convince the world heritage committee on the merits of India ’s
proposal and also discussed the issue with 21 members of the committee. The
intense lobbying paid off, as the Russian delegation moved a proposal which was
backed by several Asian and African nations.
Importance
of Western Ghats
Older than
the Himalayas, the Western Ghats are the
treasure trove of bio-diversity. In fact they are recognized as one of the 8
global hot-spots harbouring a wealth of flora, fauna. The Western Ghats
which begin at theDangs in Gujarat, run through
the western parts of Maharashtra, the tiny state of Goa ,
the Malnad region of Karnataka and the highlands
of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, before ending near Kanyakumari.
The Ghats are currently known to have
more than 5,000 plant and 140 mammal species, 16 of which are endemic, i.e.
species found in that area alone. Notably among these being the lion-tailed
macaque and the Nilgiri tahr. Out of 179 species of amphibians found in the Western Ghats , 138 are endemic to the region. It has 508 bird species, 16 of which
are endemic, including the Nilgiri flycatcher
and the Malabar parakeet.
The Western Ghats
are considered ecologically sensitive region with nearly 52 species moving one
step closer to extinction. Habitat change, over-exploitation, pollution and climate
change are the principle pressures causing bio-diversity loss.
The need to protect the ecology of the Western Ghats can hardly be over-emphasized.
The UNESCO Mandate
The UNESCO has noted with appreciation India ’s ongoing commitment to conserving high
bio-diversity values of the Western Ghats , but
has clearly underlined that more needs to be done. The World Heritage Committee
has suggested to the Indian Government to take into account the recommendations
of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. It has also asked the government to
strengthen buffer zones to provide increased protection within the nominated
sites. The UN body also wants to promote participatory governance approaches
through community participation to ensure equitable sharing of benefits. The
panel has said that no industrial activity should be allowed without the
consent of the locals.
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, was constituted by the Ministry of
Environment & Forests in February 2010 under the chairmanship of noted
environmental expert Prof. Madhav Gadgil. The panel has identified several eco-sensitive zones
in the region and recommended that they should be declared no-go areas. Among
its recommendations, the panel has also called for scrapping of Karnataka's Gundia and Kerala's Athirapally hydro-projects, and gradual phasing
out of mining activities in ecologically highly-sensitive areas of Goa by
2016. It has also suggested
setting up of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA), as a statutory
authority appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, with the powers
under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The 24-member body is to have
ecologists, scientists, representatives of civil society, as well as tribal
groups, officials from the Union Environment Ministry, Planning Commission,
National Biodiversity Authority, Central Pollution Control Board, and
representatives of the state government as its members.
Both the Karnataka and
Kerala state governments have been opposed to the recommendation to scrap the
hydro projects in their respective regions. The Karnataka Government had also
been opposing the World Heritage tag citing regulatory hurdles in the
development of places falling under these regions. Goa's lackadaisical attitude in conserving the Western Ghats has resulted in the state not getting any
site in the list of 39. Maharashtra
Government has welcomed the World Heritage Status to Western
Ghats , but that is unlikely to change the state’s present stance
of not imposing a complete ban on mining and industries, except in the core
areas. The state, nevertheless is encouraging green fuel
movement in the villages of Western Ghats by
way of up to 75% subsidy on biogas and 50% subsidy on shift to low yielding
cattle, which rely on domestic fodder instead of open grazing.
Impact
of UNESCO World Heritage Site
The World
Heritage status could have implications on development in and around these
sites as UNESCO prescribes creation of additional buffer zones around the
natural world heritage sites and putting in place an overarching management
authority for conservation of the selected 39 serial sites. Conservationists also fear a mad-rush
to these sensitive areas in the guise of eco-tourism. “This might trigger commercial activities
in the Western Ghats , followed by construction
activities like building roads, structures, power lines and other
infrastructure, which will defeat the purpose of protecting the green cover and
habitat protection,” says an activist associated with the Kudremukh Wildlife Foundation in Karnataka.
The Western Ghats expert Dr. Madhav Gadgil has welcomed the UNESCO gesture and
said “It will hopefully strengthen the Acts like Biological Diversity Act of
2002, which empowers the local bodies like panchayats to
take appropriate steps for conservation.” The participation of locals is going
to be crucial in determining the success of conservation efforts and promising
sustainable development.
All along
the Western Ghats in five states, there are lakhs of tribal people who have made their
homes in theghats. The Thodas of Nilgiris, Soligas of BR
Hills, Malekudiyas of Belthangady, Halakki Vokkals of Uttara Kannada, the Sidhis of Kumta, Paniyas of Waynad, Kattunayakans of Malabar and many others in Goa and Maharashtra are some of them. The Perspective Plan for
Protection of Biodiversity 2001-16 states that “tribal communities are part of
the biodiversity and the state governments should not take them out of their
natural surroundings, but empower them democratically and let the government
facilities go to them.”
The ground
situation for people’s participation in development is conducive in most parts
of the Western Ghats.The region has some of the highest levels
of literacy in the country, and a high level of environmental awareness. The
democratic institutions are well entrenched, and Kerala leads the country in
capacity building and empowering ofPanchayat Raj Institutions. Goa
has recently concluded a very interesting exercise, Regional Plan 2021, of
taking inputs from Gram Sabhas in deciding on the land use policies.
Evidently, Western Ghats are an appropriate
region of the country to attempt to make the transition towards an inclusive,
caring and environment friendly mode of development.
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