Concrete Vs Jungle

The Supreme Court's recent overturning of its ruling on Ecologically Sensitive Zones around protected areas may have left some locals relieved but could open the doors to new threats from unbridled construction

-  Rohit Parihar

No one was happier than Om Saini, the sarpanch of Sherpur village near the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, with the April 26 ruling of the Supreme Court of India. Just 10 months earlier, in June 2022, the apex court had imposed a blanket freeze on construction in Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs), mandating that at least a one-kilometre stretch around the demarcated boundary of all protected areas be included in the relevant ESZ. In Sherpur, this meant its 8,000-odd residents could not even construct a toilet, let alone a house, without seeking permission from the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), who heads the state's forest department.

The Supreme Court has now relaxed its previous order. But what may have come as a relief to the villagers of Sherpur could well turn into a destructive tsunami for the fragile ecology of the region. India has a network of 998 protected areas, per the National Wildlife Database, including 106 national parks, 567 wildlife sanctuaries, 105 conservation reserves and 220 community reserves. Together, they cover 5.3 per cent of the country's geographical area, as of January 2023. The Union Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC)-on the basis of surveys conducted and proposals sent by respective state governments-has been notifying ESZS under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to provide a buffer against construction and development activities that may harm the biodiversity in these protected areas.