India, March 13 -- A new policy document released by environmental groups in Kerala has called for a fundamental shift in governance that recognises the interdependence of forests, rivers, wetlands, farms and coastal ecosystems.

Titled From Forest to Sea: Kerala People's Environmental Charter, the document has been released at a politically significant moment. With Assembly elections approaching, environmental organisations hope to place ecological sustainability at the centre of public debate and urge political parties to incorporate environmental commitments into their election manifestos.

The document emerged from an unusual process of consultation. In January this year, environmental organisations from across Kerala gathered in Waya...