India, April 24 -- The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) in March 2010, keeping in view the ecological significance of the Western Ghats and the possible impact of climate change, constituted a 14-member Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) to initiate the process of demarcating ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats region. Chaired by revered ecologist Madhav Gadgil, a key mandate of the panel was to assess the current status of the ecology of the Western Ghats region, demarcate the areas that are to be labelled as ecologically sensitive under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and make recommendations for the conservation, protection and rejuvenation of the region.

Western Ghats. Image via Getty

The...