Gadgil was deeply respected by conservationists in Karnataka, but people in foothills of Western Ghats viewed his report with scepticism

Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who passed distant connected Wednesday (January 7, 2026), had a peculiar transportation with radical and activists of the Malnad portion astatine the foothills of the Western Ghats owed to his probe and recommendations regarding the conservation of the elevation ranges. He besides had his just stock of detractors, who saw his study arsenic detrimental to their livelihood oregon against their interests.

L.K. Sreepathi, a retired prof of an engineering assemblage and actively progressive successful the conflict against the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project, said Prof. Gadgil was the pillar for the question for conservation of the Western Ghats. “His decease is simply a nonaccomplishment to the struggles against demolition of the Western Ghats. He spent galore of his nonrecreational years studying the Western Ghats. And his recommendations were unique. He ne'er advocated eviction of radical who person been portion of the Ghats for ages, adjacent portion recommending conservation measures,” helium opined.

Mr. Sripathi stated that Prof. Gadgil spent innumerable days walking successful the forests and staying with the section people. “He named his autobiography A Walk Up The Hill: Living with People and Nature. The rubric mentions the radical due to the fact that helium stayed with them during his probe and had the nutrient they offered him,” helium said.

Detractors galore

Akhilesh Chipli, an activistic based successful Sagar taluk of Shivamogga, said the state has mislaid a large ecologist, who had studied the Western Ghats profoundly and submitted a study for its conservation. His findings and recommendations were the ground for arguments of galore activists warring against ill-designed projects successful the Malnad region, helium said.

Many radical who did not o.k. of his study saw him successful a antithetic light. His study was profoundly contested by those whose livelihoods depended connected the Western Ghats and its resources. There were besides those who disliked the Gadgil study due to the fact that it went against their intent of looting the wealthiness of the Western Ghats for their avarice.

“Some radical commented that helium (Gadgil) prepared the study successful his chamber, without visiting the field, which was not true. He was a idiosyncratic and researcher who spent respective years connected tract study. Unfortunately, the radical successful regularisation opposed his study and yet constituted different committee to dilute his report,” Mr. Chipli argued.

H.A. Kishor Kumar of Maland Janapara Vedike successful Hassan recalled the days erstwhile Madhav Gadgil visited the villages of Sakaleshpur taluk arsenic caput of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. “He visited the villages astir Hongada Halla successful Sakaleshpur arsenic portion of the group. He interacted with the section people, and we each had luncheon unneurotic astatine our home. He was a bully listener and encouraged questions during our interactions. He responded to my message until recently,” said Kishor.

He felt that Gadgil’s study connected the Western Ghats and his recommendations were suitable for the conservation of the area. However, the High Level Working Group, headed by K. Kasurirangan, “diluted” the recommendations of Gadgil. “We inactive reason for the implementation of Gadgil’s study for the conservation of the Western Ghats,” helium said.

Gadgil’s report

Prof. Madhav Gadgil headed the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel, constituted done an bid connected March 4, 2010. The sheet was asked to measure the existent presumption of the ecology of the Western Ghats and demarcate areas wrong the Ghats that request to beryllium notified arsenic ecologically sensitive. It was mandated to marque recommendations for the conservation, extortion and rejuvenation of the Ghats. The study was acceptable by March 2011. However, it was not released to the public, contempt repeated appeals, too applications nether the RTI. Finally, it was released to the nationalist connected May 23, 2012.

The Gadgil study had advocated a graded attack with a large relation for grassroots-level inputs for safeguarding the ecologically delicate Western Ghats. Going by which, 75% of the portion could beryllium zoned into delicate levels (ESZ 1, 2, 3). The study had demarcated the country into 3 levels of ecological sensitivity. It was against peculiar economical zones and caller elevation stations and favoured rescheduling reservoir operations to amended downstream flows. It suggested participatory soil auditing and strict regularisation of soil mining. It recommended the rehabilitation of mined areas with a peculiar absorption connected reviving h2o resources, and it promoted integrated cultivation practices and stressed the request for implementing the Forest Rights Act, benefiting the section people.

It recommended declaring ESZ-1 arsenic a no-mining country and besides advocated for phasing retired the existing mining activities wrong 5 years. In the ESZ-2, the study said nary to caller mining but allowed existing mining nether strict regularisation and societal audit. The study was besides against the reddish and orangish class industries successful ESZ-1 and ESZ-2, and suggested that the existing industries should power to zero pollution. Besides that, it recommended promotion of green/blue industries and section bio-resource-based industries nether strict regulation.

Opposition to report

After the Gadgil study connected Western Ghats became disposable to the nationalist successful 2012, galore elected governments and radical opposed it. They were unhappy with declaring it an ESZ, restricting the activities. Considering the opposition, the MoEF formed a High Level Working Group (HLWG) nether Dr. K. Kasturirangan successful August 2012 to analyse the WGEEP report. It submitted its study connected April 15, 2013, which again attracted wide disapproval and objection.

The committee recommended that 37% of the full country of the Ghats beryllium declared arsenic an ecologically delicate area. It included 20,668 sqkm successful Karnataka, spanning implicit 1,576 villages of 10 districts. The MoEF&CC issued six draught notifications connected the ESA.

The draught notification prohibited mining, quarrying, soil extraction and specified different activities successful the ESA. Further, it prohibited operation projects measuring 20,000 sqm and supra and recommended integrated farming successful the area. The Karnataka authorities rejected each six notifications. Many radical and elected representatives of the Malnad portion opposed the draught and enactment unit connected the authorities to cull it, citing that the regularisation would curtail respective activities successful the region. Mr. Gadgil was besides opposed to proposals of the HLWG, and helium wrote an unfastened missive to Dr. Kasturirangan which was published successful The Hindu connected May 18, 2013.

Kalkuli Vittal Hegde, a farmer-activist based successful Sringeri of Chikkamagaluru, said that Gadgil was an environmentalist with genuine interest for conserving the environment. “However, we the radical successful our region, were opposed to his views connected conserving the Western Ghats,” helium said. The idiosyncratic successful his study disregarded the environmentalism that wood dwellers had been pursuing for generations. “The section radical lived successful the forests without causing damage. Declaring the portion arsenic ESZ would instrumentality distant their livelihood; hence, we questioned his study and raised objections,” helium said.

Further, helium stated the conservation of quality should not beryllium the work of immoderate radical surviving successful the foothills of the Western Ghats. “Why bash lone radical successful the Malnad portion look restrictions erstwhile conservation of quality is indispensable for the full population? I often reason that it is the radical surviving successful large cities who pollute the environment, arsenic they devour much fossil fuels. Why did cipher urge restrictions connected them?” helium asked.