Perhaps more significant than what the Church initially threatened to do is the studied silence of the Muslim segment

Barely a month ago, the Congress in Kerala was looking at the April 10 election with trepidation. The uproar over the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations on the protection of the Western Ghats was at its peak in the high ranges in the State, where settler farmers had been cultivators for generations.

The MoEF was asked to submit final view on matter

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) will take a look at the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats on Monday even as electioneering has picked up momentum on the green issue in many key constituencies of the State.

Drastic Reduction Seen In Areas Marked Eco-Sensitive By Kasturi Panel

The Kerala state diversity board has sent the areas-specific details of amended maps of villages classified as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) as per the Kasturirnagan committee report to respective panchayats for suggestion and comments.

Pune: As many as 337 villages in Pune district have been included in the eco-sensitive area (ESA) of the Western Ghats, as per the draft notification the ministry of environment and forests issued on Tuesday.

However, experts pointed out that the authorities will have to take several measures, particularly involving locals, to ensure that declaring the area as eco-sensitive translates into the conservation of its biodiversity.

Days after getting the Election Commission’s nod, the Centre on Tuesday brought out the draft notification on the Western Ghats, reducing the originally earmarked Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)

High-level working group appointed by ministry had identified 13,108 sq km as ESA, which included 123 villages of Kerala

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified that the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in Kerala is spread over an area of 9,993.7 sq km only. This includes 9,107 sq km of forest and 886.7 sq km of non-forest area.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) Tuesday issued a draft notification earmarking 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), keeping it out of bounds for

Areas surrounding Sikkim's three sanctuaries, which are home to carnivores, herbivores, birds and magnificent rhododendron forests, will soon be declared as Eco-Sensitive Zones by the Centre.

Areas surrounding Sikkim’s three sanctuaries, which are home to carnivores, herbivores, birds and magnificent rhododendron forests, will soon be declared as Eco-Sensitive Zones by the Centre.