India’s Emerging Ecological Public and the Western Ghats …
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were planted by people in the Sirsi area from 1984 to 1985. It was a spontaneous
movement initiated by the collective strength of local communities to regain control
over productive natural resources and to defend their livelihoods and lifestyles (Rao
2012). The movement sought to build a harmonious relationship between people
and nature. It redefined the term development by making ecological concern as the
basis for sustainable development. It considerably influenced the state authorities to
prohibit destructive projects and spread awareness among the villagers of the region
regarding the ecological danger posed by commercial and industrial interests in their
forests.
The movement still continues to fight against tree-felling and deforestation in
Uttara Kannada and other hill districts in Karnataka and Kerala with its popular
slogan, “Ecology is permanent economy”.
3 The Gadgil Committee Mandate
The Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests (RE Division) in its
order No. 1/1/2010—RE (ESZ) dated: March 04, 2010 constituted the WGEEP with
Professor Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil, an Indian ecologist, academic, writer, columnist and the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, as its Chairman. In fact,
Gadgil, a mathematical ecologist, is the pioneer of ‘social ecological’ research in the
second wave of environmentalism in India (Guha 1997). The Committee had 13 members comprising scientists, academicians, legal experts, officials representing distinct
government agencies and research institutes and NGOs with considerable involvement in the regional ecological wellbeing (WGEEP, Annexure A, pp. 111–113). The
composition of the committee raised much expectation and initial goodwill from all
stakeholders.
The MoEF order highlighted the context that led to the formation of the committee:
The ecological and environmental problems of the area are complicated by the pressure of
population and industry, including tourism, on land and vegetation; submergence of forest
areas under river valley projects, encroachment on forest lands; mining operations, felling
of natural forests for raising tea, coffee, rubber, eucalyptus, wattle and other monoculture
plantations; infrastructural projects such as railway lines and roads, soil erosion, landslides
and habitat fragmentation and rapidly declining biodiversity. The order declared that given
the environmental sensitivity and ecological significance of the region and the complex
interstate nature of its geography, as well as the possible impacts of climate change on this
region, it is proposed to constitute a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. (Government of
India 2010)
421
were planted by people in the Sirsi area from 1984 to 1985. It was a spontaneous
movement initiated by the collective strength of local communities to regain control
over productive natural resources and to defend their livelihoods and lifestyles (Rao
2012). The movement sought to build a harmonious relationship between people
and nature. It redefined the term development by making ecological concern as the
basis for sustainable development. It considerably influenced the state authorities to
prohibit destructive projects and spread awareness among the villagers of the region
regarding the ecological danger posed by commercial and industrial interests in their
forests.
The movement still continues to fight against tree-felling and deforestation in
Uttara Kannada and other hill districts in Karnataka and Kerala with its popular
slogan, “Ecology is permanent economy”.
3 The Gadgil Committee Mandate
The Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests (RE Division) in its
order No. 1/1/2010—RE (ESZ) dated: March 04, 2010 constituted the WGEEP with
Professor Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil, an Indian ecologist, academic, writer, columnist and the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, as its Chairman. In fact,
Gadgil, a mathematical ecologist, is the pioneer of ‘social ecological’ research in the
second wave of environmentalism in India (Guha 1997). The Committee had 13 members comprising scientists, academicians, legal experts, officials representing distinct
government agencies and research institutes and NGOs with considerable involvement in the regional ecological wellbeing (WGEEP, Annexure A, pp. 111–113). The
composition of the committee raised much expectation and initial goodwill from all
stakeholders.
The MoEF order highlighted the context that led to the formation of the committee:
The ecological and environmental problems of the area are complicated by the pressure of
population and industry, including tourism, on land and vegetation; submergence of forest
areas under river valley projects, encroachment on forest lands; mining operations, felling
of natural forests for raising tea, coffee, rubber, eucalyptus, wattle and other monoculture
plantations; infrastructural projects such as railway lines and roads, soil erosion, landslides
and habitat fragmentation and rapidly declining biodiversity. The order declared that given
the environmental sensitivity and ecological significance of the region and the complex
interstate nature of its geography, as well as the possible impacts of climate change on this
region, it is proposed to constitute a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. (Government of
India 2010)