Date: 03/01/2023

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution, and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Key Phrases: Eco-Sensitive Zones, National Wildlife Action Plan, eco-fragile zones, sensitive corridors, shock absorbers, fragile ecosystems, the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre.

Why in News?

• Several farmers’ outfits and church bodies in Kerala have announced protests against a satellite survey of eco-sensitive zones, conducted by the state government, in tune with a Supreme Court order.

What are Eco-Sensitive Zones?

• As per the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016), issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, land within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is to be notified as eco-fragile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ).
• While the 10-km rule is implemented as a general principle, the extent of its application can vary.
• Areas beyond 10 km can also be notified by the Union government as ESZs, if they hold larger ecologically important “sensitive corridors.”

Why are Eco-Sensitive Zones created?

• ESZs are created as “shock absorbers” for the protected areas, to minimize the negative impact on the “fragile ecosystems” by certain human activities taking place nearby.
• Furthermore, these areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher protection to those requiring lesser protection.
• The guidelines also state that the ESZs are not meant to hamper the daily activities of people living in the vicinity, but are meant to guard the protected areas and “refine the environment around them”.

Activities allowed in ESZs:

• Prohibited activities:
  • Commercial mining, sawmills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise, etc), the establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP), commercial use of wood, Tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park, discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances.
• Regulated activities:
  • Felling of trees, the 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:
  • Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, and adoption of green technology for all activities.

What is the recent SC judgment that has caused an uproar in Kerala?

• On June 3, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court heard a PIL that sought to protect forest lands in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu but was later expanded to cover the entire country.
• In its judgment, the court while referring to the 2011 guidelines as “reasonable”, directed all states to have a mandatory 1-km ESZ from the demarcated boundaries of every protected forest land, national park, and wildlife sanctuary.
• It also stated that no new permanent structure or mining will be permitted within the ESZ.
• If the existing ESZ goes beyond 1-km buffer zone or if any statutory instrument prescribes a higher limit, then such extended boundary shall prevail, the court.

Why are people protesting against it?

• Due to the high density of human population near the notified protected areas, farmer’s groups and political parties have been demanding that all human settlements be exempt from the ESZ ruling.
• Several farmers fear that the regulations that may accompany the ESZ delineation would make farming impossible. They worry that they could be gradually evicted from their holdings.
• The creation of a buffer zone would lead to the setting up of a parallel administrative system run by the State Forest Department.
• Once the buffer zone is notified, forest officers will call the shots and cause unnecessary hurdles for farmers and settlers.
• The State Government apprehends that the SC’s notification may worsen the ground situation as it would adversely impact the interests of the State besides upsetting the lives of millions living near the protected areas.

‘Faulty report’:

• In its order, the apex court had directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of each State and Union Territory (UTs) to draw up a list of subsisting structures and other relevant details within the respective ESZs and furnish a report within three months.
• The court had indicated that the States/UTs could take the assistance of any governmental agency for satellite imaging or photography using drones for the purpose of preparing the list.
• The Kerala government engaged the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSRSEC) for this task.
• Findings of Report:
  • The KSRSEC report identified 49,330 existing structures using satellite images, including 14,771 residential buildings and 2,803 commercial buildings.
  • The KSRSEC had also reported that 115 villages in Kerala would come under the buffer zone of the protected areas of the State.
  • According to its report, a total area of 1,588.709 sq. km would come under ESZs.
  • The sanctuaries and national parks in the State are spread over an area of 3,441.207 sq. km.
  • The assessment found that 83 tribal settlements were located within the ESZs of the State.
• With several organizations of farmers, factions of the Church, and political parties protesting against the ‘inaccuracy’ of the study, the Kerala government was forced to appoint an expert committee headed by Thottathil Radhakrishnan, a former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, for field verification of the report.

Conclusion:

• For a State sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, any attempt to alter or fine-tune the ecological regulatory mechanism is sure to trigger a volley of protests.
• In order to achieve sustainable development over the long term, the States should act as a trustee for the benefit of the general public in relation to natural resources.
• The government needs to take a middle path while taking into consideration all the stakeholders so that a win-win situation can be achieved.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What are eco-sensitive zones, and what is the recent SC judgement that has caused an uproar in Kerala? Discuss.