India, July 16 -- Uttara Kannada, one of India's most forested districts and part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, is facing growing pressure from hydropower, pumped storage, nuclear expansion, ports and river diversion projects.

The proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project is located in the same forest landscape around the Gerusoppa dam, where earlier hydropower development triggered major public opposition.

The project raises legal and ecological concerns because the area is now part of the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone.

India's low-carbon transition must not weaken the forests, rivers, carbon sinks and communities that are central to climate resilience & reversing the...