New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, headed by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, has approved a proposal to alter the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan by increasing the area of its critical tiger habitat (CTH), while slightly reducing its buffer zone.
The proposal involves expanding the CTH area from 881.11 square kilometres to 924.49 square kilometres and reducing the buffer area from 245.72 square kilometres to 203.20 square kilometres in Alwar, the Lok Sabha constituency of Yadav. The decision was taken during the committee’s meeting held on June 26.
The reconfiguration aims to resolve longstanding legal and management challenges caused by the fragmentation of the existing CTH, which is larger than the officially-notified Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary.
The move follows recommendations from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and a directive from the Supreme Court in the TN Godavarman case.
News reports last month said that if the boundary change was approved, it could help restart more than 50 marble and dolomite mines that were shut down after a Supreme Court order last year.
These mines were operating within a kilometre of the CTH, which is a protected area.
Yadav said the proposal has been referred through an order of the Supreme Court and recommended by the chief wildlife warden (CWLW) and the state government, along with justification.
An expert committee, constituted by the Rajasthan government under the chairmanship of the field director of Sariska, recommended the boundary rationalisation under section 38-V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The committee’s report suggests not only increasing the CTH but also slightly adjusting the buffer zone, bringing the total notified area of the Sariska Tiger Reserve to 1,127.68 sq. km from the previous 1,126.83 sq km. The increase includes the addition of Meenala block (85.44 hectares), which was earlier not a part of either the CTH or the buffer area.
The proposal has been approved by the CWLW, the State Board for Wildlife, the Rajasthan government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The standing committee approved the rationalisation proposal with specific conditions.
It observed that the western section proposed for reclassification from core to buffer has a lower density of tigers but still holds ecological value due to the confirmed presence of tigers and its role in landscape connectivity.
The committee stressed that “developmental activities which are detrimental to wildlife habitats may be avoided” in this section.
It also recommended that protection measures be strengthened in both the new CTH and the buffer area through enhanced patrolling, community engagement and regular habitat monitoring. “Human-wildlife-conflict-mitigation strategies be implemented proactively in and around villages near this zone,” the committee advised.
To safeguard wildlife movement and habitat continuity, it further called for “appropriate ecological safeguards and adaptive management practices to support long-term conservation goals of the Sariska Tiger Reserve”.
The committee made it clear that the boundary changes must fully comply with the directions of the Supreme Court issued on December 11, 2024. PTI GVS RC
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