Violations and poor management threaten Gujarat sanctuaries: CAG

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Area

Context:

A series of violations and other discrepancies have been threatening wildlife in Gujarat, especially in six sanctuaries managed by the state forest department, flagged the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG).

Six sanctuaries in Gujarat:

Balaram Ambaji and Jessore (Banaskantha district); Jambughoda (Panchmahal district), Ratanmahal (Dahod district), Shoolpaneshwar (Narmada district) and Purna (Tapi and Dangs districts).
They offer safe homes to sloth bears, leopards, striped hyenas, jackals, wolves, jungle cats, blue bulls, wild boars, Indian foxes, Indian hares, common langurs, reptiles, birds, barking deers, antelopes and chitals, among others.
The National Forest Commission Report, 2006 mandates each state to devise a policy for sustainable forest management.

Bear conservation in Gujarat:

Of the eight species of bears known worldwide, India is home to four.
Five of the six sanctuaries host the bear population.
The Ratanmahal sanctuary hosts sloth bears, a flagship species in the area.

Mismanagement of sanctuaries in Gujarat:

The state hasn’t declared any Critical Wildlife Habitats — areas in national parks and sanctuaries dedicated to wildlife conservation — in the past 14 years since the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
The forest department did not specify a mechanism for implementing the provisions of the National Wildlife Plan until September 2022; the plan came into force in 1983.
The report stated that five of the six, except Purna Sanctuary, were highly fragmented.
The Dantiwada range of the Jessore sanctuary was plagued with invasive species Prosopis Juliflora.