The Western Ghats, and two reports on how to preserve its ecology, has become a source of mass hysteria in the state. At stake is one of the eight big ecological hotspots in the world, a 1,500 km-long continuous mountainous chain (except for the Palakkad gap) that runs parallel to the western coast of India. After the first report—authored by a panel headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil—was made public in 2012, the Centre constituted another panel (headed by G. Kasturirangan) to study the feasibility of implementing the Gadgil report. Among its recommendations, the second report favours the bureaucracy imposing boundaries in ecologically sensitive areas (differing from the Gadgil report, which suggested that grama sabhas be given this authority).