Study finds most proposed ESA area in Kodagu and Udupi already protected
A mapping exercise by the Paani Earth Foundation says 70.8% of the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area in Kodagu and 82% in Udupi overlap with notified forests, protected areas or existing eco-sensitive zones. The findings come amid Karnataka’s opposition to the proposed Western Ghats notification.
A mapping exercise by the Paani Earth Foundation has found that much of the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area in Karnataka’s Kodagu and Udupi districts overlaps with areas that already have legal environmental protection. The citizen-led initiative used administrative boundary data from the Karnataka Geographical Information System to examine proposed ESA villages alongside notified forests, protected areas and existing eco-sensitive zones. In Kodagu, 54 villages have been proposed as part of the ESA.
The foundation said about 70.8% of the proposed area overlaps with one or more of the three existing protection categories, while about 30% lies outside them. In Udupi, 35 villages have been proposed. The corresponding overlap was estimated at about 82%, leaving approximately 18% outside notified forests, protected areas or existing ESZs.
The foundation said the ESA proposal did not automatically convert all land within an included village into forest land. It said existing land records, ownership and applicable laws would continue to apply. According to its account of the draft notification, agriculture and plantation activities would not be affected, while existing homes could be repaired or renovated under prevailing rules.
The report also identified the two districts as important headwater landscapes. It said streams in Kodagu feed river systems including the Cauvery, Kumaradhara, Payaswini and Barapole or Valapattanam, while streams in Udupi feed the Sita, Chakra and Varahi systems. The Karnataka legislature unanimously passed a resolution on September 22 rejecting the Kasturirangan report in its current form.
The State government has argued that the ESA should be limited to notified and other forest areas, excluding plantations, farms and residential or public areas. The proposed restrictions include bans on mining, quarrying and sand mining, along with limits on new thermal power projects, red-category industries and certain large construction projects. The foundation plans to extend its mapping to other districts covered by the proposal.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.