Nepal, Bhutan and India have agreed to work together to allow the free movement of animal species and address problems of poaching, overgrazing, forest fires and the spread of livestock diseases by

Report of Madhav Gadgil-headed Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel

The report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by Madhav Gadgil has generated much heat and dust in Kerala, with environmental activists and pro-development experts adopting diametrically opposing views. But meaningful debate on the issue has been hampered by the difficulty in comprehending the voluminous report and the lack of data analysis and interpretation. The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has taken the initiative to address this lacuna by bringing out a handy document on the aspects of the WGEEP report relevant to the State.

The Western Ghats have been labeled a world heritage site, but scientists from the city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology have found that biodiversity is not well conserved in the reg

Kamaljith Singh Bawa, founder and president of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), and winner of this year’s Gunnerus Sustainability Award (a Norwegian research prize awarded biannually), said the heritage status granted to the Western Ghats pointed to the importance of conservation and management of our natural resources.

The civil society should be deeply involved in such efforts so that conflicts or future conflicts could be avoided, he added.