A nine-member group headed by Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan will examine the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report.

The report of the WGEEP, which had been led by renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil, advised some very rigorous measures to protect the ecologically fragile Western Ghats.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has asked the new group to evaluate the report of the WGEEP in a holistic way in the light of the comments given by various stakeholders, such as state governments.

Institute of Economic Growth's former director Kanchan Chopra; , Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi; Jagdish Kishwan, Additional Director-General of Forests (Wildlife), MoEF; Institute of Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine chairman Darshan Shankar; and Centre for Science & Environment Director-General Sunita Narain.

The group will also study the effects & challenges of climate change in the Western Ghats region, the connotations of the UNESCO heritage site recognition of some parts of the ecologically significant region, and the imperatives of evenhanded economic & social growth of the region in the as sustainable manner as possible.

Meanwhile, Prof. Gadgil argued that it would be premature for the new group to assess the report as the views of a majority of the stakeholders had yet to be obtained.