Odisha plans to ease forest, wildlife restrictions to boost tourism; experts see red

ODISHA is seeking to ease environmental restrictions to promote tourism inside and around some of its most ecologically sensitive regions, including tiger reserves and Ramsar wetlands, official records show.

- PBD BUREAU/PTI

Experts have flagged the move as "dangerous" for conservation efforts and tribal rights.

According to minutes of a high-level meeting chaired by the Odisha chief secretary on May 30, the state plans to revisit and amend Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notifications to remove clauses prohibiting construction and commercial activities.

It also plans to request the Centre to allow forest land to be used for non-sitespecific purposes such as hospitality infrastructure and to re-examine Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) classifications to accommodate more tourism projects along, the coast.

ESZs are buffer areas created around protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks to protect wildlife and biodiversity from harmful human activities such as mining, construction and polluting industries. Activities like farming, eco-tourism and the use of renewable energy are usually allowed with restrictions.

These buffer areas between wildlife habitats and human-dominated regions act as "shock absorbers", said B K Singh, a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer.

"The move is definitely not in the interest of conservation and will lead to a rise in human-wildlife conflict, as seen in the case of Dhenkanal, where humanelephant conflict has increased over the years," he said.