NTCA letter to expedite forest relocation from tiger zones draws activist ire
- September 7, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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NTCA letter to expedite forest relocation from tiger zones draws activist ire
Sub: Env
Sec: Env legislation
NTCA’s Request for Village Relocation in Tiger Zones:
- NTCA asked 19 States to prioritise relocating villagers from core tiger zones, sparking protests from activists and organisations.
- NTCA highlighted that 591 villages with 64,801 families still reside in core tiger zones, posing a concern for tiger conservation.
- The letter specifically mentioned Karnataka, which has relocated 1,175 families from 81 villages since 1973.
- Core zones in tiger reserves prohibit human habitation, while buffer zones allow regulated activities.
Status of Relocation and Legal Concerns:
- India has 53 tiger reserves across 19 States with 848 villages (89,808 families) in core zones. Since 1973, 257 villages (25,007 families) have been relocated.
- Wildlife laws mandate core zones to be “inviolate,” with relocation meant to be voluntary under agreed terms.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
- The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, as revised in 2006, gives the National Tiger Conservation Jurisdiction, a statutory agency under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, authority over wildlife.
- The authority is headed by the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and its other members include three members of Parliament, the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Minister of State.
- The mandate includes Project Tiger implementation and monitoring, tiger preservation efforts on the ground, science-based tiger and habitat monitoring utilising cutting-edge technological techniques, and financial and technical support for tiger reserves in India.
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