Centre declares 56,825 sq km of Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area
The Union government has notified 56,825 square kilometres of the Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive area for environmental protection and regulated development.
- An eco-sensitive area is a government-notified zone where environmental rules regulate activities to reduce ecological harm.
- The Union government’s ESA approach is meant to allow development under conditions while monitoring ecological impact in the notified zone.
- The Union government expects to put specific restrictions and conditions on development activities within the ESA boundaries.
- The Union government’s ESA notification is meant to enable monitoring of ecological impact after activities are regulated.
What happened: ESA notification for 56,825 sq km in the Western Ghats
The Union government has notified a large portion of the Western Ghats—covering 56,825 square kilometres—as an eco-sensitive area (ESA).
The notification is meant for environmental protection and for regulating activities within the designated zone. The Union government is expected to issue specific restrictions and conditions for development inside the ESA and enable monitoring of ecological impact in the region.
UPSC can frame the issue as a test of how an eco-sensitive area (ESA) notification functions in practice: regulatory zoning, development conditions, and ecological monitoring linked to compliance.
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