Calls for comprehensive mountain policy to protect biodiversity and resources

The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) has urged the Governor to recommend to the State government, the formulation of a “comprehensive mountain policy,” for the sustainable development of its “enormous and unique” mountain resources.

Dharmalingam Venugopal, honorary director of the NDC, in a press release, said that the State’s mountains and their resources are under multiple threats including real estate development, invasive species, monoculture, urbanisation leading to problematic man-animal interactions and power projects.

“The State government has already notified the sensitive areas in the Western Ghats which are mostly mountain areas. It is time the State government formulates a comprehensive mountain policy for the sustainable development of its enormous and unique mountain resources,” said Mr. Venugopal.

Highlighting the case of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which has enacted a law to protect mountain ecosystems by following the recommendations of the UN Mountain partnership, Mr. Venugopal appealed for the formulation of a similar law that will “protect mountain environments in an integrated way by encouraging environmentally sustainable economic activities and improving the quality of life of its residents, resulting in benefits for society as a whole.”