Church leaders in Thrissur have urged the Kerala government to address concerns over a draft notification designating parts of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area, saying protections must also safeguard residents’ land rights and livelihoods.
Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath and Joshi Vadakkan, secretary of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, called on the State and Union governments to discuss provisions they believe could affect farmers and tribal communities in the high-range region. In a joint statement, they asked the State government to convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly.
The leaders cited more than 3.5 million people living in 131 villages covered by the proposal. They said the ESA should be confined to forest land under government control, rather than using villages in Kerala as the basic units for demarcation.
They also called for residents to retain the ability to buy and sell land and use property as collateral for bank transactions. The church representatives said the Assembly should endorse these demands and communicate them to the Centre.
The statement acknowledged the need to protect the Western Ghats’ ecology while arguing that people who have farmed and lived in the hill regions for decades with valid records should not face uncertainty over their homes and livelihoods. The leaders said they believe sustainable development must account for both conservation and the rights of local communities.