Madhav Gadgil and Champions of the Earth Award
Ecologist Madhav Gadgil received the Champions of the Earth Award in 2024, the UN’s highest environmental honour, for his work on the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Gadgil led the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, recommending the region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) to mitigate threats like urbanization and industrialization. The 2011 report proposed three sensitivity zones, but faced opposition from state governments, industries, and local communities. Subsequent efforts, like the Kasturirangan Committee (2013), identified 37% of the Ghats as ESA. Gadgil’s advocacy for transparency and awareness remains influential in conservation efforts.
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