The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Concerns remain on World Heritage tag

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Monday, Jun 27, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Concerns remain on World Heritage tag

Divya Gandhi

Expert alleges that local people were not consulted

Stand-off:The Government has opposed the tag, saying it could undermine its control over the Western Ghats.

BANGALORE: The face-off between the Karnataka Government and UNESCO over the proposed natural heritage nomination for the Western Ghats appears to have reached a truce, with the World Heritage Committee postponing the inscription by a year.

However, ecologists and community rights activists, who differed on the issue, now say that the title could likely elude the Western Ghats next year too if the controversy and concerns are not resolved.

Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel Madhav Gadgil, who opposed the tag on grounds that it could serve to empower the State Forest Department against forest dwelling communities, told The Hindu the initiative needed “a more people-oriented approach”.

Local people had not been consulted in the decision making process and were in the dark about the management regime under the new status, he said.

Activists of the tribal rights organisation Budakattu Krishikara Sangha (Karnataka), who had protested the heritage title, described the postponement as “a short term victory”.

J.P. Raju, leader of the outfit, added that they would continue to oppose the tag next year too if the State Government failed to implement the Forest Rights Act, which includes extending community rights over minor forest produce and granting title deeds for their land.

The Government had opposed the tag contending that it could reduce government control over these areas and undermine rights of local people. V.B. Mathur, Dean of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who worked with UNESCO on the nominations, told The Hindu that the tag comes with no new restrictions and fears over a loss of traditional rights are “unfounded”.

If the Western Ghats are to be inscribed next year, the controversy must first be resolved, said Jagdish Krishnaswamy of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, which gave UNESCO scientific inputs for the nomination. “It would be unfortunate if the decision is deferred indefinitely considering that Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are eager for a heritage title for the Western Ghats.”

However, Mr. Mathur, who is now attending the 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, is confident of an inscription for the Western Ghats next year. UNESCO had decided to ‘refer' the nomination, not ‘defer' it, he explained.

Information

That means India would have to provide additional information on governance and administrative mechanisms for the 39 nominated sites in the Western Ghats once they are inscribed into the heritage list and also review recommendations of Mr. Gadgil's panel. “WII and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests will provide the information sought by UNESCO well within the deadline of February, 2012 so that it can be placed in the 36th in Bangkok June 2012,” he added.

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