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Advocating for a mountain law in India

23.05.2019

The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) Director, Dharmalingam Venugopal has advised the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Banwarilal Purohit to endorse a law to protect the mountains in the southern Indian state Tamil Nadu.

The Madras state is the forerunner in the country in enacting laws that conserve nature including forests and wildlife therefore Venugopal has appealed to the Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri to pass a law to protect the highly endangered and climate-sensitive mountains in the region.

Venugopal believes the mountain law in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil could serve as an example in advocating for the conservation of mountain ecosystems. The law provides a framework for regulating and funding biodiversity conservation, the efficient and sustainable use of mountain resources, and the promotion of traditional and modern knowledge.

The Tamil Nadu state mountain law will aim to 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.

The law could focus on ecosystems classified as mountains including, cloud forest, mountain forest and areas that are 1 000 meters above sea level. It also includes areas with a local elevation of more than 300 meters in height, whose slope and environmental conditions are similar to mountainous environments.

Venugopal presented the governor a copy of the All India workshop on sustainable and inclusive mountain development organized in Ooty, India in 2013 that developed a framework for a mountain policy in India.

News and Photo by NDC