Treat Western Ghats to coast as one ecosystem, says policy document

Kerala must prioritise environmental policies, development strategies, and governance systems that acknowledge and address the climate emergency driven by global warming, according to a people’s environmental policy document jointly prepared by Paristhithi Aikyavedi and Sahyadri Environment Summit. The document calls for a shift in governance from a disaster-response approach to one focussed on building climate resilience.

Titled ‘From Forest to Coast’, the document is addressed to both political parties and the public. Its various aspects were discussed at a roundtable meeting at Kalpetta. Environmentalist P. Chathukutty inaugurated the meeting.

The policy highlights the central role of the Western Ghats in sustaining Kerala’s agriculture, drinking water, climate stability, and natural resources. As a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, the region supports livelihoods across hills, midlands, and coastal areas. It warns that unless governance and development are planned by treating the entire stretch—from the forests of the Western Ghats to the coast—as a single interconnected ecosystem, Kerala could face severe ecological and social consequences.

Recent disasters, including Cyclone Ockhi, the 2018 floods, and landslides in places such as Mundakkai and Chooralmala, are cited as clear warnings. The document stresses the need for foresight and well-planned policies to prevent further crises. Rivers originating in the Western Ghats, which sustain agricultural lands, wetlands, and waterbodies before reaching the sea, are described as Kerala’s lifelines. Their protection and restoration must be prioritised.

The document also calls for urgent action to address human-wildlife conflict through a coexistence-based policy. It recommends increasing compensation for loss of life and injury at least fourfold, ensuring long-term support for affected families, and providing timely compensation for crop losses within 15 days.

To tackle forest degradation, it proposes reclaiming forest lands allotted to corporations and private entities, restoring monoculture plantations to natural forests, and eradicating invasive species through a dedicated forest restoration mission.

It further recommends declaring the ecologically fragile Camel Hump ranges as a wildlife sanctuary and merging the Tirunelli forests with the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. Warning against unsustainable tourism practices, the document calls for keeping tourism away from wildlife and indigenous habitats.

Finally, it advocates promoting tree cultivation in homesteads and accelerating the transition to organic and traditional farming with government support, including compensation, insurance, and fair pricing mechanisms.