What Happened
- A coalition of environmental organisations released "From Forest to Sea: Kerala People's Environmental Charter" on March 11, 2026, in Thiruvananthapuram, urging a fundamental governance shift that recognises the interdependence of forests, rivers, wetlands, farms, and coastal ecosystems.
- The charter emerged from the Sahyadri Environmental Summit held January 24-26, 2026, in Wayanad, which brought together scientists, activists, farmers, fisher representatives, tribal leaders, and civil society groups.
- The central concept is a "ridge-to-sea" system: rain falling on Western Ghats forests flows through hill slopes, plantations, agricultural fields, and wetlands before entering rivers and reaching the Arabian Sea, forming a single ecological continuum.
- Key recommendations include establishing a Western Ghats Ecological Governance Council, creating a Kerala River Basin and Water Systems Mission, transitioning agriculture to agroecology, and setting up a Kerala Coastal and Marine Resilience Mission.
- Released ahead of Kerala's April 2026 assembly elections, the charter was handed to all major political party leaderships as a set of commitments for electoral accountability.
Static Topic Bridges
Western Ghats: Gadgil and Kasturirangan Reports
The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site stretching 1,600 km across six states, has been the subject of two landmark reports on ecological protection. The Gadgil Committee (Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, 2011) recommended that the entire Western Ghats be declared an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), with graded zones (ESA 1, 2, 3) restricting development, and proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The Kasturirangan Committee (High Level Working Group, 2013) adopted a more development-balanced approach, recommending only 37% of the Western Ghats be designated ESA (versus Gadgil's 64%).
- Gadgil Committee advocated a bottom-up governance approach starting from Gram Sabhas
- Kasturirangan report excluded inhabited regions and plantations from ESA purview, designating 123 villages under ESA
- Kasturirangan approach was more politically acceptable but criticised for inadequate ecological protection
- ESA notifications have faced persistent resistance from mining, plantation, and real estate interests
- Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu are the six Western Ghats states
Connection to this news: The People's Environmental Charter builds on the governance framework envisioned by the Gadgil Committee by proposing a Western Ghats Ecological Governance Council and demanding time-bound ESZ notification through transparent scientific mapping — going further by integrating coastal ecosystems into the same governance framework.
Ridge-to-Sea Ecological Continuum and Watershed Management
The "ridge-to-sea" concept treats landscapes as interconnected systems where upstream actions directly impact downstream ecosystems. Kerala's geography exemplifies this: 44 rivers originate in the Western Ghats and flow westward to the Arabian Sea within 60-120 km, creating one of the world's most compact watershed systems. Deforestation in the Ghats increases runoff, causing floods and landslides in the midlands and sediment loading in coastal waters.
- Kerala has 44 west-flowing rivers, all originating in the Western Ghats
- The 2018 and 2019 Kerala floods demonstrated the catastrophic consequences of disrupting upstream ecosystems
- Wayanad landslides (2024) linked to deforestation, quarrying, and monoculture plantations in ecologically sensitive areas
- Wetland destruction (Kuttanad, Vembanad) reduces natural flood buffering capacity
- Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) is internationally recognised as the most effective approach for managing interconnected water systems
Connection to this news: The charter's call for river basin-based planning and a Kerala River Basin and Water Systems Mission directly applies the ridge-to-sea principle, addressing the root cause of Kerala's recurring flood-landslide-coastal erosion cycle by treating the entire watershed as a single governance unit.
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) and Protected Area Management
ESZs are buffer areas around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, notified under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that a minimum 1-km ESZ must be maintained around all protected areas. ESZ notifications regulate activities like mining, quarrying, commercial construction, and industrial operations while allowing sustainable livelihoods.
- Supreme Court (June 2022) mandated minimum 1-km ESZ around all protected areas nationwide
- ESZs categorise activities as prohibited (mining, major construction), regulated (hotels, resorts), and permitted (agriculture, horticulture)
- National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) reviews ESZ proposals before notification
- ESZ notifications have been delayed across Western Ghats states due to political resistance and local opposition
- The charter demands time-bound ESZ identification through "transparent scientific mapping and public consultation"
Connection to this news: The charter's demand for transparent, time-bound ESZ notification addresses one of the longest-standing implementation gaps in Western Ghats conservation, where delays have allowed continued ecological degradation in buffer zones around protected areas.
Key Facts & Data
- Charter title: "From Forest to Sea: Kerala People's Environmental Charter"
- Released: March 11, 2026, Thiruvananthapuram
- Sahyadri Environmental Summit: January 24-26, 2026, Wayanad
- Prepared by: Kerala Paristhithi Aikya Vedi
- Western Ghats length: approximately 1,600 km across 6 states
- Gadgil Committee ESA coverage: 64% of Western Ghats
- Kasturirangan Committee ESA coverage: 37% of Western Ghats
- Kerala rivers: 44 west-flowing rivers originating in the Western Ghats
- Supreme Court ESZ mandate (2022): minimum 1-km buffer around all protected areas