Conservation of forest buffer zones

The Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are described as shock absorbers in a protected area such as a national park or a wildlife sanctuary. The objective of creating a buffer zone through the notification of an ESZ for each protected area is to protect forest ecology by regulating developmental activities. It is a matter of grave concern that a review of the status of ESZs in the country by the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) found that even though an ESZ contains various provisions, none of them are implemented on the ground. One of the key provisions of ESZ notification is the preparation of the Zonal Master Plan for the notified zone, but it was pointed out in the NBWL meeting that nodal agencies and the state government ignore this provision, and the plan has not been prepared for many ESZ. The availability of resources for implementing an action plan in the ESZ for the development, restoration, and conservation of habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife is also another important provision. Ironically, monitoring committees are required to be constituted as per the provision of the ESZ notification to implement and monitor various provisions in the notification, but most of the committees are non-functional, and the status of the implementation of other provisions in the notification can be well imagined. According to the laid-down procedures, the draft notification is sent by the states to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and the final notification is published after disposal of all claims and objections. When so many efforts are put in before publication of the final notification for articulating the provisions, any laxity on the part of the implementing authorities in their implementation is a serious lapse and defeats the very objective of notifying the ESZ. The NBWL Standing Committee decided that the MoEFCC shall take opinions and suggestions from the Forest Departments of States and Union Territories on landscape-level conservation planning and matters related to the implementation of provisions contained in the ESZ notifications and to address human wildlife conflict issues. Rising incidents of man-elephant conflict and straying rhinos and tigers in the human settlement areas outside the protected areas in Assam point towards failure to enforce ESZ provisions in respect of protected areas in the state, preventing destruction of forest ecology, and regulating developmental activities. Failure to clearly demarcate the buffer zones and build awareness among the people living in these areas about the importance of conservation of the ecology will only lead to worse man-animal conflict soon. The Supreme Court, while giving relaxation on developmental activities within ESZ areas, observed that the requirement of declaring ESZ is not to hamper the day-to-day activities of the citizens but is meant to protect the precious forests and protected areas from any negative impact and to refine the environment around the protected areas. The SC passed an order in 2022 mandating each protected area to have a 1 km radius, prohibiting mining and new construction activities in ESZ areas, and allowing only those activities permitted under ESZ guidelines for which permission from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had already been obtained. The central and state governments moved the apex court for relaxation of the order and argued that such a blanket prohibition would bring developmental activities such as the construction of roads, bridges, schools, healthcare centres, and dwelling houses to a permanent halt. The relaxation given by the SC brought relief to lakhs of people residing in ESZ areas and government departments to carry on construction activities permitted by the guidelines issued in respect of ESZ. Educating the people living in buffer zones about their responsibilities to refrain from any activities that can lead to rampant destruction of the green cover is critical to protecting the animals’ corridors for their unhindered ranging. When the corridors are fragmented permanently because of human activities, the man-animal conflict reduces to a protracted conflict, and drastic measures such as the eviction of people from the buffer zone remain the only viable option to prevent further deterioration. Landscape level planning will help identify critical gaps that are specific to each protected area. Making people living in the buffer zones key stakeholders in the planning process is essential to overcome the challenges in the implementation of ESZ provisions. Their participation in the consultation process in the course of landscape-level planning will help them realise that their development aspirations may need to be curtailed to protect the buffer zone. Their active participation in ESZ implementation makes them climate warriors because of their contribution towards the conservation of forests and the ecology of not just the protected areas but also the buffer zones. Incentivizing the residents of buffer zones and facilitating alternative and environmentally sustainable avenues of income in recognition of their role in conservation can go a long way in implementing the ESZ notifications.