Experts and conservationists have criticized Karnataka's new Master Policy Blueprint for the Western Ghats as unscientific and not pro-conservation [1].
The dispute highlights a growing tension between government administrative goals and the urgent need to protect one of the world's most biodiverse regions. Failure to ground policy in scientific evidence could jeopardize fragile ecosystems and the livelihoods of local communities [2].
The criticism followed the release of the policy on July 24 [1]. Environmental scientists said the blueprint lacks the necessary scientific rigor to effectively manage the mountain range. They said that conservation must balance ecology, livelihoods, and local rights through inclusive dialogue [2].
This policy debate coincides with significant scientific milestones in the region. On July 22, researchers announced the discovery of five [3] new species of Allographa lichen in the Western Ghats. These findings provide fresh insights into forest conservation and underscore the biological richness that critics said the current policy fails to protect [4].
The conservation community also faced a significant loss in late July. Madhav Gadgil, an environmental scientist who shaped India's green movement and championed Western Ghats conservation, died in Pune at age 83 [5, 6]. Gadgil's work often emphasized the necessity of science-based approaches to ecology, a pillar that current critics said is missing from the state's new blueprint [1].
The Western Ghats span the states of Karnataka and Kerala, serving as a critical hub for biodiversity. Conservationists said that without a shift toward a more inclusive and evidence-based strategy, the region risks further biodiversity loss [2].
“The master policy is unscientific and not pro-conservation.”
The clash over the Master Policy Blueprint reflects a systemic struggle in Indian environmental governance to reconcile economic development with ecological preservation. The discovery of new species emphasizes the region's untapped biological value, while the death of Madhav Gadgil removes a primary intellectual architect of the conservation movement. This suggests a critical transition period where the Western Ghats' future depends on whether the government adopts a participatory, science-led model or a top-down administrative one.
