Heritage body criticises decision
The ministry of environment’s decision to get Prof. Madhav Gadgil’s report reviewed by a separate panel has drawn up criticism from unexpected quarters.
Tim Badman, heading the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) World Heritage Programme, has issued a statement that international monitoring took place to ensure that the 39 bio-diversity hot spots in the Western Ghats be preserved in their entirety.
The demand from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) came after India refused to accept demand from the World Heritage Committee that recommendations of the Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Experts panel should be implemented as a pre-condition to get the heritage tag for the mountains which are home to precious biosphere reserves.
“We welcome these sites to the World Heritage List, but note the conservation challenges that they face will need additional monitoring by the World Heritage Committee to ensure that these sites meet the requirements that accompany listing as flagships for global conservation,” said Mr Badman.
Mr Badman’s subdued criticism has come about because ICUN believes that though the Western Ghats possesses spectacular values, more work was needed on “these nominations.”
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