Lok Sabha Question No. 2294 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-29
Subject: Eco-Sensitive Zones
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB, DEVAJIBHAI GOVINDBHAI FATEPARA, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2294

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.11.2016

## Eco-Sensitive Zones

## 2294.    SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

SHRI DEVAJIBHAI G. FATEPARA:

SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE:

SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government/National Board for Wildlife has advised the States to identify the  areas  for  declaration/conservation  as  Eco-Sensitive  Zones  including  areas  outside National Parks/Sanctuaries and if, so, the details thereof along with the details of areas identified so far, State-wise;
- (b) the criteria/method followed by States to identify such areas;
- (c) whether various  proposals  for  declaring  Eco-Sensitive  Zones    around  Sanctuaries  and National  Parks  are  pending  with  the  Government  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof,  Statewise including Gujarat;
- (d) the time by which the said proposals are likely to be approved by the Government; and
- (e) the  details  of  prohibited  activities  in  the  Eco-Sensitive  Zones  along  with  instances  of violations noticed in this regard and the action taken thereon during the last three years and the current year, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a), (b) (c) and (d) March 2005,

The National Board for Wildlife in its meeting held on 17 th had  taken  the  following  decision    with  respect  to  declaration  of  EcoSensitive Zone  around National Parks and Sanctuaries:

' The proposal for augmenting the conservation of the existing Protected Areas  was  agreed  to.  However,  the d elineation  of  Eco-Sensitive  Zones would  have  to  be  site  specific  and  relate  to  regulation,  rather  than prohibition  of  specific  activities.  State  Governments  will  have  to  be consulted in this regard and concurrence obtained. This being an area of potential conflict with local communities, no enhancement of area should be done arbitrarily.'.

(e)

The  criteria  for  identification  of  Eco-Sensitive  Zones,  as  agreed  by National Board for Wildlife are as follows:

- i. Complete protection to endemic species in its entire range;
- ii. Development  processes  not  to  reduce,  damage  or  destroy  the habitat of critically endangered or any other threatened species;
- iii. Protection to biological corridors;
- iv. Protection to highly complex and diversified ecosystem susceptible  to  irreversible  damage  ,  like  coral  reefs,  mangroves, etc.
- v. Sites associated with reproductive, breeding or nurturing behaviour of rare and threatened species;
- vi. Existence of pristine forests;
- vii. Steep slopes (more than 60º)

The State-wise details of proposals received in this regard is at Annexure-1. Based on the proposals received from the State Government,  so  far,  the  Ministry  has  approved/notified  416  proposals. Out  of  17  proposals  received  from  the  State  of  Gujarat,  draft/final notifications have been issued for 15 proposals.

Declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones around National Parks and Sanctuaries involves consultation with States besides seeking comments from the public, after issuing a preliminary notification giving 60 days for this  purpose.  The  objections/comments/suggestions  received  along  with the  draft  notifications  are  considered  by  an  Expert  Committee  on  Ecosensitive Zones  in the  MoEF&CC,  wherein  representatives  of the concerned States also participate. Based on the recommendations of the ESZ Expert Committee, the Ministry notifies Eco-Sensitive Zones around Protected Areas in the country, within a time limit of 545 days specified under the Environment (Protection) Rule,1986.

The  Notifications  for  Eco-Sensitive  Zones  provide  for  prohibition  of unsustainable activities like mining, establishment of polluting industries, etc and promotion of sustainable activities. Besides, the notification also provides for appraisal of certain activities by the Monitoring Committee at the State level. The details of violations in this regard are not collated at the level of Central Government.

## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a), (b) ( c) & (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2294 REGARDING 'ECO SENSITIVE ZONES' BY SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB, SHRI DEVAJIBHAI G. FATEPARA, SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE AND SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE DUE FOR REPLY ON 29.11.2016

## Details of proposals for declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones received in the Ministry

| S.No   | Name of State           |   Number of proposals received |
|--------|-------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh          |                             15 |
| 2      | Andaman &Nicobar Island |                            105 |
| 3      | Arunachal Pradesh       |                             12 |
| 4      | Assam                   |                             21 |
| 5      | Bihar                   |                             13 |
| 6      | Chhattisgarh            |                             14 |
| 7      | Chandigarh              |                              2 |
| 8      | Dadra Nagar Haveli      |                              1 |
| 9      | Daman &Diu              |                              1 |
| 10     | Delhi                   |                              1 |
| 11     | Goa                     |                              7 |
| 12     | Gujarat                 |                             22 |
| 13     | Haryana                 |                             10 |
| 14     | Himachal Pradesh        |                             34 |
| 15     | Jammu and Kashmir       |                             11 |
| 16     | Jharkhand               |                             12 |
| 17     | Karnataka               |                             32 |
| 18     | Kerala                  |                             22 |
| 19     | Lakshadeep              |                              1 |
| 20     | Madhya Pradesh          |                             35 |
| 21     | Maharashtra             |                             48 |
| 22     | Manipur                 |                              6 |
| 23     | Meghalaya               |                              5 |
| 24     | Mizoram                 |                              7 |
| 25     | Nagaland                |                              1 |
| 26     | Orissa                  |                             19 |
| 27     | Punjab                  |                             14 |
| 28     | Pondicherry             |                              1 |
| 29     | Rajasthan               |                             27 |
| 30     | Sikkim                  |                              8 |
| 31     | Tamil Nadu              |                             29 |
| 32     | Telengana               |                             12 |
| 33     | Tripura                 |                              4 |
| 34     | Uttar Pradesh           |                             24 |
| 35     | Uttarakhand             |                             13 |
| 36     | West Bengal             |                             20 |
|        | TOTAL                   |                            609 |