Resource detail

Western Ghats is a magnificent mountain range next only to Himalayas and is a biological treasure trove with a high degree of endemism (11% to 78%) and scenic beauty. This unique eco-system has been threatened by continuously increasing habitat pressures and declared as one of the world’s hottest hotspots of biodiversity. Realizing the need to protect and rejuvenate the ecology of and for sustainable development in Western Ghats, the Ministry of Environment and Forests constituted a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). The mandate of WGEEP was to demarcate ecologically sensitive zones and suggest measures to conserve, protect and rejuvenate the ecology of Western Ghats region. This Report clearly indicates unambiguously that the eco-system of Western-Ghats is in need of urgent attention and action. Out of the estimated 1,64,280 km2 of the Western-Ghats area, the natural landscape constitutes only 41 per cent. The area identified as ecologically sensitive is about 37 per cent i.e., about 90 % of the natural landscape. It is against this backdrop of a fast dwindling unique ecosystem. Needless to emphasize, there is a great sense of urgency, in the implementation of the tasks arising out of the recommendations.