The Supreme Court on June 3, 2022 directed that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of a minimum one km starting from their demarcated boundaries.
- The present judgment was towards two sets of issues; mining and commercial activities in and around the Jamwa Ramgarh Wildlife sanctuary (Rajasthan), and guidelines prescribing eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) surrounding wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
- A three-judge Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, B.R. Gavai and Aniruddha Bose said, if ESZ was prescribed already which goes beyond 1 km buffer zone then such an extended boundary shall prevail.
- The Bench stressed that activities currently going on in ESZ limits can continue only with the permission of the Chief Conservator of Forests.
What is Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ)?
- Eco Sensitive Zones are notified by the Central Government through Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act of 1986.
- Environment Ministry guidelines show that the purpose of declaring ESZs around national parks, forests and sanctuaries is to create some kind of a “shock absorber” for the protected areas.
- The objective of notifying Eco-Sensitive Zones is to create a buffer as further protection around Protected Areas (PAs) such as National Parks and Wildlife sanctuaries.
- The delineation of the extent of the ESZ area is site specific. Its width varies from one protected area to the other.
- As per the Wildlife Conservation Strategy 2002-2005 and Supreme Court judgements the area may generally extend up to 10 km around the protected area.
- If sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage are involved then areas beyond 10 kilometres width can also be notified as the Eco-Sensitive Zones.
- The distribution of an area of ESZ and the extent of regulation may not be uniform all around and it could be of variable width and extent.
Prohibited activities under the Eco-Sensitive Zone
The Ministry has proposed prohibiting following activities in the Eco-Sensitive Zone. They include:
- Commercial mining, Stone quarrying and Crushing units,
- New or expansion of existing saw mills,
- Setting up of Brick Kilns industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc),
- Establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP),
- Commercial use of wood,
- Tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park,
- Discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances.
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