Item No.3

(Court No. 2)

BEFORE THE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL

PRINCIPAL BENCH, NEW DELHI.

(Through Physical Hearing with Hybrid V.C. Option)

Original Application No.768/2023

Dr. T V Ramachandra

Applicant

Versus

State of Karnataka & Ors.

Respondents

Date of hearing:

31.01.2024

CORAM: HONBLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN KUMAR TYAGI, JUDICIAL MEMBER.

HONBLE DR. AFROZ AHMAD, EXPERT MEMBER.

Applicant:

None for the Applicant.

Application is registered based on a letter petition received by email.

ORDER

1.

Dr. T.V. Ramachandra has sent by email the present letter petition to

this Tribunal, which has been treated and registered as O.A. No. 768/2023.

2.

The relevant part of the letter petition enumerating grievances of the

applicant is reproduced as follows:-

X

X

X

X

Western Ghats Spatial Decision Support System (WGSDSS)

has been designed as part of the ongoing ecological research in

the Western Ghats by taking advantage of the recent advances

in information and open source web technologies through the

integration of spatial with the attribute information (bio, geo,

climatic, ecological, environmental, and social variables) at

disaggregated levels. This enhances governance transparency

O.A.No.768/2023

Dr TV Ramachandra Vs. State of

Karnataka & Ors.

-2-

while meeting societal needs, which helps in the prudent

management of ecologically and hydrologically vital Sahyadri

hill ranges. Visualization of ecologically sensitive regions at

disaggregated levels (grids/village) through synthesis and

integration of information would enable understanding of the

current status, which are essential for effective decision-making

at decenralised levels (for example BMCs (Biodiversity

Management Committees) towards sustainable management of

natural resources.

Web-based spatial decision support system (WSDSS) is

designed by integrating free and open source software

(GeoServer, PostgreSQL, GeoTools, OpenLayers) and integration

of spatial information of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)

standards to carry out a multiple criteria analysis. Features

such as Web Map Service (WMS), and Web Feature Service

(WFS) would help in accomplishing effective dissemination of

the ecological, socio, economic, biodiversity and environmental

information.

Ecological sensitivity or fragility refers to permanent and

irreparable loss of extant life forms or significant damage to the

natural processes of evolution and speciation with the

alterations in the ecological integrity of a region. The

comprehensive knowledge of the ecological fragility of a region

is quintessential for evolving strategies for conserving the area,

which entails identifying factors responsible for ecological

sensitiveness, including landscape dynamics, and visualizing

future transitions to mitigate the problems of haphazard and

uncontrolled development approaches. The region witnessed

large-scale land cover changes during the past century due to

unplanned developmental activities with industrialization and

globalization.

This

necessitates

implementing

mitigation

measures involving stakeholders to address the impacts

through

location-specific

conservation

measures.

Framing

conservation and sustainable developmental policies entail

delineation of ecologically sensitive regions by integrating bio-

geo-climatic,

ecological,

and

social

factors

representing

dynamics of socio-ecological systems, impacts, and drivers.

Analyses of ecologically sensitive regions in the Western Ghats,

one among 36 global biodiversity hotspots using temporal

remote sensing data, highlight serious concerns on the status of

forests and conservation options. The deforestation and

mismanagement of these pristine ecosystems evident from

deforestation and the current extent of forest ecosystems have

been threatening water security with severe challenges to

people’s livelihood in peninsular India. Spatiotemporal an