The Western Ghats are one of the world's recognised biodiversity hotspots and the catchment for the rivers that supply peninsular India, and the property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list comprises 39 component sites. Yet the ESA notification has been in draft form for well over a decade, repeatedly re-issued and repeatedly deferred, because the environmental case runs directly against state-level interests in quarrying, plantations, tourism construction and hydel projects. Extending the committee for another year keeps the consultation alive but also keeps the regulatory position uncertain: until a final notification issues, the draft has no operative force, and clearing and construction continue under ordinary law. The landslide record of the region, including the Wayanad disaster, is what gives the delay its weight.