CHENNAI: The Western Ghats, a hotspot for biodiversity that spans seven states, is out of the race for Unesco's Natural Heritage Status for the second year in a row. The Unesco Heritage Committee had at its meeting in Paris in 2011 also rejected India's application.
A Unesco official participating in the ongoing annual meeting of the heritage committee in St Petersburg, Russia, confirmed to TOI that 39 selected sites of the mountain chain — which starts in Gujarat and ends in Tamil Nadu — will not make it to the heritage list.
A Unesco official participating in the ongoing annual meeting of the heritage committee in St Petersburg, Russia, confirmed to TOI that 39 selected sites of the mountain chain — which starts in Gujarat and ends in Tamil Nadu — will not make it to the heritage list.
The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has suggested that India "review and refine the scope and composition" of the sites, chosen by the state governments, and take serious note of recommendations by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP).
The regulatory body asked India to "further refine the boundaries" of the sites to ensure the "exclusion of disturbed areas" and "enhance the contiguity and buffer zones of the nominated sites", based on recommendations from WGEEP.
Though a meeting to discuss whether or not to grant heritage status to the Western Ghats, which is home to at least 325 globally endangered species, will take place on the weekend it is unlikely that the UN body will overrule IUCN's objections and grant it the special status.
India now cannot apply for heritage status for the Western Ghats for another three years. The heritage tag would have boosted tourism and ensured that measures are taken to conserve the various fragile ecosystems in the mountain range.
Unesco has so far granted natural heritage status to five sites in India.
Wildlife Institute of India dean V B Mathur said, "Many international travellers look for natural heritage sites. The tag would have meant more funding for researchers working to preserve the area."
Unesco carries out heritage checks annually
Unesco carries out annual audits to check if heritage sites maintain the criteria based on which they are granted the tag, said Jagadish of Atree, a Bangalore-based NGO involved in the survey of the designated sites along with IUCN. "This would have led to protection of the sites and prevented encroachments," he said. "Also, roads or dams cannot be constructed on these sites."
The 39 sites are spread over 7,95,315 hectares in Maharashtra (with four sites), Karnataka (10), Kerala (19) and Tamil Nadu (six). Many politicians in these states, especially in Karnataka, have opposed the move to seek heritage status for the 39 sites, saying no development project would be possible in these areas.
The regulatory body asked India to "further refine the boundaries" of the sites to ensure the "exclusion of disturbed areas" and "enhance the contiguity and buffer zones of the nominated sites", based on recommendations from WGEEP.
Though a meeting to discuss whether or not to grant heritage status to the Western Ghats, which is home to at least 325 globally endangered species, will take place on the weekend it is unlikely that the UN body will overrule IUCN's objections and grant it the special status.
India now cannot apply for heritage status for the Western Ghats for another three years. The heritage tag would have boosted tourism and ensured that measures are taken to conserve the various fragile ecosystems in the mountain range.
Unesco has so far granted natural heritage status to five sites in India.
Wildlife Institute of India dean V B Mathur said, "Many international travellers look for natural heritage sites. The tag would have meant more funding for researchers working to preserve the area."
Unesco carries out heritage checks annually
Unesco carries out annual audits to check if heritage sites maintain the criteria based on which they are granted the tag, said Jagadish of Atree, a Bangalore-based NGO involved in the survey of the designated sites along with IUCN. "This would have led to protection of the sites and prevented encroachments," he said. "Also, roads or dams cannot be constructed on these sites."
The 39 sites are spread over 7,95,315 hectares in Maharashtra (with four sites), Karnataka (10), Kerala (19) and Tamil Nadu (six). Many politicians in these states, especially in Karnataka, have opposed the move to seek heritage status for the 39 sites, saying no development project would be possible in these areas.
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