Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Narmada district of Gujarat. Recently the the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has classifying 121 villages around the sanctuary as eco-sensitive zones.
- It is being reported that BJP Lok Sabha MP Mansukh Vasava, who represents the Bharuch parliamentary constituency, had resigned from the party internally opposing this notification. It is said that he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to withdraw the Centre’s notification.
- Tribal communities around the Wildlife Sanctuary have been protesting against the notification. Their apprehensinos are:
- After the notification, many economic activities will be banned and land cannot be transferred for non-agricultural use for commercial, industrial or residential purposes.
The state government will be the co-owner of the land in the 121 villages.
- They fear that the government decisions could dilute the “power” vested with villagers under the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, implemented in areas notified under Schedule V of the Constitution.
What is Eco Sensitive Zone?
- Eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) are transition zones around Protected Areas to prevent ecological damage caused due to developmental activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
- The ESZs of the protected areas are finalised by an expert committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the ESZ proposals presented by state governments.
- The objective behind the ESZ notification is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected area.
- The ESZ works as shock absorbers for protected areas. They are supposed to act as the transition zones from areas of high protection to less protection.
- As a general principle, the width of the ESZ could go up to 10 kms around the protected area. However in 2005, it was decided that identification of ESZs around protected areas would be site-specific and would work on the principle of regulation rather than prohibition of activities. So, the eco-sensitive zones could range from 0-10 kilometres and in some exceptional cases it can even go beyond
