The Western Ghats Ecology and Protection

#GS-1 #GS-3 #Geography #Environment #Biodiversity #Sustainable Development #Gujarat

Why in News

Twelve years after releasing its first draft notification, the Central Government is preparing to finalize and notify Ecologically Sensitive Areas across portions of the Western Ghats.

The Western Ghats is an ancient and fragile mountain chain that forms one of the world's eight hottest biodiversity hotspots.
Recognized globally for its unique ecosystems, the mountain range is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The hill ranges run continuously along the western coast of India from the mouth of the Tapti River down to the southern tip of the country.
The Western Ghats span across six Indian states, namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
The region covers a total geographical footprint of approximately 180,000 square kilometers, which accounts for just under 6% of India's total land area.

The range features an uneven terrain with low hills, steep structural escarpments, and high-altitude granitic ridges.
It includes key sub-landscapes such as the Nilgiris Eastern Ghats Landscape and the Wayanad plateau.
The area features the unique shola ecosystem, which consists of montane grasslands mixed with patches of tropical wet evergreen forest.
These forest patches host numerous medicinal plants and rare genetic resources.
The region contains more than 30% of all plant, fish, herpeto-fauna, bird, and mammal species found in the country.
The Ghats exhibit extreme levels of biological isolation, with 50% of India's amphibians and 67% of its fish species found nowhere else.
It serves as an exclusive home for threatened native animals like the Nilgiri tahr and the lion-tailed macaque.
The range forms one of the largest continuous blocks of healthy forest cover in Southern India.
It supports 30% of the world's Asian elephant population and 17% of the world's existing tigers.

The Western Ghats feed major rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery.
The mountain range plays a vital role in regulating the Indian monsoon.
Nearly 245 million people depend on the rivers of the Western Ghats for drinking water, irrigation, agriculture, and livelihoods across peninsular India.
Ecologically Sensitive Area notifications provide legal backing to restrict mining, quarrying, polluting industries, and large townships in fragile zones.