By Shweta Tyagi, Chief Functionary India Water Foundation
Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are areas within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries (Prakash, 2018). Eco sensitive zone observes the cultural and natural history of the biodiversity hotspot through the lens of planning and regulation ESZs are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India under Environment Protection Act 1986.
In case of areas with are considered to be sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond the 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.
The basic aim in setting up Eco-Sensitive Zones is to minimize the negative impacts of certain activities by creating a “shock absorber” for the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas like National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. It acts as a transition zone for areas which has less protection to areas which has high protection.
Significance of Eco sensitive zone in the age of rapid urbanisation is to protect the environment and give a furute framework for sustainable development, some other sginificans od ESZs are:
- To minimize the impact of urbanization and other developmental activities, the areas adjacent to protected areas have been declared as Eco-Sensitive Zones.
- The purpose of declaring eco-sensitive zones around protected areas is for creating some kind of a ‘Shock Absorber’ for the protected area. (MoEFCC, 2017)
- They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.
- ESZs help in in-situ conservation, which deals with conservation of an endangered species in its natural habitat, for example the conservation of the One-horned Rhino of Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
- Eco-Sensitive Zones minimize forest depletion and man-animal conflict. The protected areas are based on the core and buffer model of management, through which local area communities are also protected and benefitted.
The activities in ESZs are in regulatory in nature rather than prohibitive in nature as describedby the National Board for Wildlife (MoEFCC, 2007).
The areas around many protected areas has already seen a lot of development in close vicinity to their borders while some protected areas already lies in urban developed areas for example Sanjay Ghandi National Park in Maharashtra and Guindy National Park in Tamil Nadu are located in urban areas. Therefore, determining the extent of the ESZs around Protected areas will have to be kept flexible and case specific. The width of the ESZs and the type of regulations will be area specific and will differ from one protected area to another. In general the width of an ESZ is kept up to 10 Km from a protected area as provided by the Wildlife Protection Strategy 2002 (MoEFCC, 2007). Activities allowed in Eco-Sensitive Zoness are given below (MoEFCC, 2017)-
- Prohibited activities: In the Eco-Sensitive zones, activities like industries which causes pollution Commercial mining, saw mills, establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP), commercial use of wood, Tourism, discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances are all prohibited.
- Regulated activities:: In the Eco-Sensitive zones, activities like felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g. adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc., widening of roads.
- Permitted activities:: In the Eco-Sensitive zones, activities like ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, adoption of green technology for all activities are permitted.
There are also many challenges and threats to Eco-Sensitive Zones, that be summarised as:
A. Developmental activities:
Activities such as construction of dams, roads, urban and rural infrastructures in the ESZ, create interference, negatively impact upon the environment and imbalance the ecological system. For example, construction of road would lead to cutting down of trees which would further impact upon, soil erosion thereby destroy the habitats of the species preserved under the ESZ.
B. Governance and new laws:
Failing to recognize the rights of forest communities and curbing poaching of animal, legislations like Environmental Protection Act 1986, and Wildlife Protection Act 1972, undermine the ESZs in favour of developmental activities. For example – the new draft notification for reducing the ESZs of Bannerghatta National Park.
C. Tourism:
As the pressure of tourism is rising, the government is developing new sites and gateways to the ESZ. To cater to the increasing demand for eco-tourism, land around parks and sanctuaries is being cleared through deforestation, displacement of local people etc. The tourists leave behind garbage such as plastic bags and bottles etc. which lead to environmental degradation.
D. Introduction of exotic species:
Exotic species like Eucalyptus and Acacia auricularis etc., and their plantations create a competing demand on naturally occurring forests.
E. Climate change:
Biodiversity and climate change are interconnected, for example, the rise in global temperature has generated land, water and ecological stress on the ESZs. For example, forest fires or the Assam floods which badly affected the Kaziranga National Park and its wildlife.
F. Local communities:
Slash and burn techniques used in agriculture, pressure of increasing population and the rising demand for firewood and forest produce, etc. exerts pressure on the protected areas.
