Team Herald
PANJIM: Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar on Friday said that Goa is the only State in the country that has managed to give cent percent protection to the Western Ghats region by safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
“Goa is the only State that has given 100 percent protection to the world heritage site the Western Ghats by safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. All the credit goes to the tribal population living in the talukas like Sanguem, Quepem, Sattari, etc,” Kerkar said, addressing the South Asia Sub Regional Meeting of NGOs on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for Sustainable Development.
Kerkar said Goa, ruled for several hundred years by the Portuguese, witnessed cultural dissimilarities. “But in the lap of the Western Ghats, the intangible culture has been maintained by certain tribal communities,” he said.
Kerkar, representing India was speaking about his Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade (VEAB), which organizes multimedia shows on the environment and cultural heritage of Goa and Western Ghats.
The Western Ghats range runs approximately 1,600 km through Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The green activist pointed out how Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka are involved in a legal battle over water diversion issues. “The problems are likely to worsen in days to come,” he lamented.
On the second of the conference, NGOs from South-Asian countries deliberated on how safeguarding ICH can add to peace building, conflict resolution and achieving gender equality. NGOs representing India, Nepal and Sri Lanka made presentations on how they have been able to bridge the gap between communities or helped in resolving traditional internal conflicts.
