Eco sensitive Zones

Subject: Environment

Context:

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set a fresh deadline of December 31 for the Union environment ministry to finalise the notification of eco-sensitive zones in the Western Ghats pending for eight years.

Concept:

• The basic aim of ESZ is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas
• ESZs are notified by MoEFCC, Government of India under Environment Protection Act 1986
• The guidelines include a broad list of activities that could be allowed, promoted, regulated or promoted. This is an important checklist for conservationists to keep in mind while identifying threats in ESZs.
• For this purpose, the ministry has asked all states to constitute a committee comprising the wildlife warden, an ecologist and a revenue department official of the area concerned to suggest the requirement of an eco-sensitive zone and its extent.
• The width of the ESZ and type of regulation may vary from protected area to area. However, as a general principle, the width of the ESZ could go up to 10 kms around the protected area.

Western Ghats:

• Still there is no consensus among six states and union over notification of ESZ in western ghats, as there is need for balance between ecology and economic growth
• Union Government in 2010 had set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by DrMadhavGadgil. In his report submitted in 2011, DrGadgil had recommended that large swathes of areas falling within the Western Ghats be marked as ecologically sensitive areas and excluded from damaging activities.
• However, owing to opposition from states, the MoEF set up another committee in August 2012 called the High Level Working Group headed by former ISRO Chief Dr K Kasturirangan who further reduced the area to be notified as ESAs. However, this report too was rejected by many states.