Letters to THE EDITOR: Buffer zone

sentinelgroup@gmail.com

A sanctuary cannot survive as an ecological island when the landscape surrounding it is steadily devoured by anthropogenic pressures. The Centre's proposal to establish a one-kilometre Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Bherjan-Borajan-Padumoni Wildlife Sanctuary in Tinsukia district is therefore a significant conservation intervention, but its efficacy will depend on more than cartographic demarcation.

This fragmented sanctuary complex, renowned for its rich biodiversity and primate population, faces mounting threats from habitat degradation, encroachment, infrastructure expansion and human-animal conflict. An ESZ can provide a regulatory buffer against such predatory land-use changes by restricting environmentally deleterious activities and scrutinising potentially disruptive projects. However, drawing a protective boundary on paper will not automatically translate into ecological security.

The authorities must ensure that prohibited, regulated and permissible activities are clearly delineated, with stringent monitoring against illegal logging, quarrying and unauthorised construction. Equally important is the need to involve indigenous communities, tea-garden workers and local residents in conservation planning. Their livelihoods must not be imperilled through indiscriminate restrictions. Community participation, sustainable livelihood alternatives and transparent grievance-redressal mechanisms are indispensable to securing public cooperation.

Moreover, the proposed ESZ should be integrated with wildlife corridors and adjoining forest landscapes to prevent habitat fragmentation. Scientific monitoring, adequate staffing and interdepartmental coordination must underpin its implementation.

Conservation cannot be reduced to drawing concentric circles around endangered habitats. If commercial expediency is allowed to trump ecological prudence, even the most meticulously notified ESZ will become a hollow safeguard. The real test of this proposal is not how far the boundary extends, but how firmly the state stands behind it.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat