Trees in Corbett fell prey to greedy nexus, says Supreme Court

Trees in Corbett fell prey to greedy nexus, says Supreme Court

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Areas

Context:

• The Supreme Court criticized the illegal cutting down of over 6,000 trees for the construction of buildings under the guise of “eco-tourism” at Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, highlighting it as an example of the detrimental collaboration between politicians and officials for commercial benefits at the expense of the environment. This act was particularly condemned as it severely impacted the Corbett Tiger Reserve, a critical habitat for tigers.

Details:

• The court directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to establish a specialized committee to evaluate and provide recommendations on the allowance of tiger safaris in the buffer zones of tiger reserves.
• The court emphasized Uttarakhand’s obligation to restore the forest fully and underscored the intrinsic connection between tigers and their forest habitat, indicating the critical role of tigers in maintaining the ecosystem’s health.
• The specialized committee is to include members from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Wildlife Institute of India, Central Empowered Committee, and a Joint Secretary from the Ministry, focusing on ensuring the protection of tigers and, by extension, the ecosystem surrounding them.

Panel to access damage:

• The appointed panel is tasked with evaluating the damage to the green cover of the Corbett Reserve, estimating the restoration costs, and identifying the individuals and officials responsible for the damage.

Guidelines for safaris:

• The Supreme Court indicated that if the committee recommends permitting tiger safaris in the peripheral areas of tiger reserves, it should also propose guidelines for their operation, applicable across India.
• The court emphasized an eco-centric approach to tiger safaris, criticizing the use of tigers from zoos for these purposes as suggested by the 2019 National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines.
• Instead, it referred to the 2016 NTCA guidelines, which advocate for using only injured, conflict, or orphaned tigers unfit for rewilding, sourced from the same landscape as the safari.
• The court rejected the idea of selecting safari animals with the Central Zoo Authority’s approval and opposed the creation of a “Master Plan” by the CZA for managing tiger safaris.
• It stressed minimizing environmental damage, suggesting that any resorts should be built to blend with the natural environment, noise levels should be controlled, and safaris should be close to animal rescue centres.
• Existing safaris, like the Pakhro zone in Corbett, are to remain undisturbed, but the court instructed the Uttarakhand government to set up an animal rescue centre nearby.

Jim Corbett National Park:

• Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger.
• It is located in Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and was named after hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett.
• The Park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
• The Park encompasses the Patli Dun valley formed by the Ramganga river.
• Ramganga, Sonanadi, Mandal, Palain and Kosi are the major rivers flowing through the Corbett National Park.
• The national park is a protected area covered by the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature under their Terai Arc Landscape Program.

Source: TH