The Hindu : National : Mechanism of proposed Western Ghats serial sites to be enhanced

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Mechanism of proposed Western Ghats serial sites to be enhanced

K.S. Sudhi

Paris session of World Heritage Committee begins today

Sites managed under policy, legal framework: Environment Ministry
Western Ghats recognised for its high biodiversity value

KOCHI: The proposed Western Ghats Natural Heritage Conservation Authority (WGNHCA) will likely strengthen the management of the serial sites nominated for the Unesco's World Heritage List.

The country has been campaigning for the status for 39 sites of the Ghats and the Paris session of the World Heritage Committee that began on Sunday will decide on the list.

Earlier, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which assessed the sites, had observed that “there was no overarching management plan for the nominated property.”

Responding to the criticism, the Ministry of Environment and Forests said the sites had comprehensive management plans and were being scientifically managed under a policy and legal framework.

“The serial properties are spread across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra and cannot be effectively managed under a single or overarching management plan. Instead, the required synergy and coordination for effective management would be provided by the already existing Western Ghats Natural Heritage Management Authority.

The management activities will be further strengthened by the proposed WGNHCA,” according to a document to be submitted to the Unesco.

It was also communicated that the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, headed by eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil, and the Western Ghats Natural Heritage Committee, were established by an executive order and an appropriate synergy and coordination existed between the two.

The Ministry said: “The nominated property duly meets the integrity, protection, and management requirements as set out in the operational guidelines of the [World Heritage Commission].” The boundaries of the sites, it said, were well-demarcated both on the ground as well as on the spatial database in the Geographic Information System domain.

A decision on the nomination was expected on June 24, said V.B. Mathur, dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, who had been coordinating the nomination process for the Ghats region.

Highlighting the eligibility of the Ghats for nomination, the document prepared by the Ministry said the IUCN had highly commended India for its ongoing commitment to ensure a comprehensive approach to conserving the globally recognised high biodiversity value of the Ghats, noting the scale and complexity of the area.”

The technical evaluation team of the IUCN had reported on the species richness and diversity of the Ghats. The whole region included some 5,000 vascular plant species, 228 freshwater fish, 179 amphibians, 157 reptiles, 508 birds, and 139 mammals. A large number of them were endemic too.

“The property is key to the conservation of a number of threatened habitats, such as wildflower meadows, shola forests, and Myristica swamps,” according to the document.

“The sites fall under a number of protection regimes, ranging from tiger reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and reserved forests. All these components are owned by the State and subject to stringent protection under laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act, the National Wildlife Action Plan, and the Forest Conservation Act.

The sites belong to the same bio-geographic province and remain as isolated remnants of previously continuous forest.

The Ghats also represents two Global 200 priority eco-regions not represented in the World Heritage List.

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