Gadgil’s Ecological Insights

In his article “Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel: A Play in Five Acts,” (EPW, 3 May 2014), Madhav Gadgil, the chief architect of the report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), stated

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report, prepared over a 17-month period from March 2010 to August 2011, has sparked off a vigorous debate, even demonstrations, protests, and violence … The Malayalam translation that sold so well was brought out by the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), a people’s science movement, after the government initially suppressed the report … At the same time, a number of politicians and bureaucrats from many of the states, as well as some members of the church in Kerala, launched a campaign of disinformation on the WGEEP report. This campaign triggered large-scale violence in the hilly areas of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala in November 2013.