Karnataka faces mounting pressure to act on Western Ghats conservation after total rejection of report

UPDATE - follow-up to Narrowed posture: On Karnataka and the Kasturirangan Report: Karnataka must avoid dismissing the entire framework of ecologically sensitive areas outlined in the Kasturirangan Report, even though the State Assembly unanimously rejected its recommendations. The Report allows human activity and human occupation across the Western Ghats with a pro-development approach. However, Karnataka raised major issues regarding old satellite data from 2012 and a rule where an entire revenue village enters an ecologically sensitive area if at least twenty percent of it is sensitive, which puts farmland and homes under restrictions. Local concerns about livelihoods grew after the Centre asked states to check the data on the ground, while vested interests like mining groups allegedly stirred up fears of displacement. While Karnataka wants to build an alternative map, its complete rejection faces a wider test as other states make progress with the Centre. Gujarat is close to an agreement, Tamil Nadu has no major disagreement, Kerala wants its protected area reduced, and Maharashtra and Goa want specific villages left out. The Centre decided in 2024 to notify these areas state by state, putting more pressure on Karnataka to either offer a solid alternative or balance local fears with its heavy responsibility for the largest share of the Ghats.