**"Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part I - 12. Buffering Protected Areas : 1.

Opinion
   27/09/2018
            1423.

**"Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part I - 12. Buffering Protected Areas : 1.

12. Buffering Protected Areas : 1.

Another stream of ESZ related activities has stemmed from a resolution of the Indian Board for Wildlife in 2002 to constitute areas up to ten kilometres from the boundaries of Protected Areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks as ESZs /ESAs. In pursuance of this resolution, MoEF called for proposals from State Governments, with Forest Departments expected to take the initiative. By 2002, the Pronab Sen (2000) committee report on identifying parameters for designating ecologically sensitive areas was available. This report had called for systematically mapping and recording base-line data, as also to design and operationalize a comprehensive monitoring programme and network, involving not only government agencies but also other institutions, universities, NGOs, and individuals, particularly those living in the pertinent areas. No such information base has been created. An excellent voluntary attempt along these lines was made by Ashish Kurne, an MSc student at Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Research and Education, Pune who visited 16 PAs of Maharashtra, including several in the Western Ghats and submitted a thesis outlining the issues that will need to be addressed in this regard. The thesis was submitted in 2004 and his guide, Dr Erach Bharucha, published a detailed paper incorporating the results. This material was presented to Maharashtra Forest Department. (Bharucha et al. 2011).

When the Forest Departments were goaded into some action after a Court judgment in 2005, the PCCF sent out letters in which he asked the various Forest Department functionaries to prepare appropriate proposals after consulting these publications. Yet only some hesitant, tardy action is being taken relating to PAs in Kolhapur Circle, namely Radhanagari WLS, Chandoli NP, and Koyna WLS, a follow up that is still incomplete six years after the wake-up call by the courts in 2005.

WGEEP made serious, concerted attempts to obtain information relating to any such follow up for all Western Ghats PAs, with some limited success only for the state of Maharashtra. Some information was obtained relating to PAs in Kolhapur Circle, and two Conservators of Forest who had been in charge, M K Rao (13 May,2011) and Sai Prakash (11 June,2011), were kind enough to explain the position in person. Both confirmed that no cognizance whatsoever was taken of the Kurne thesis, nor of the many studies undertaken by the faculty and research students of Shivaji University. They also confirmed that no systematic data has been recorded by the Maharashtra Forest Department. Minutes of the meeting note that two Forest Officials advised that the steep escarpments of the Western Ghats that fall within the 10 km zone from PAs, and also have some Reserve Forest areas should not be considered as being ecologically sensitive. This is incredible in view of the fact that these escarpments fulfil two of the primary criteria of the Pronab Sen committee including [i] Steep Slopes and [ii] Origins of Rivers, and the areas so sought to be dismissed include very steep slopes and locations of origins of some important west-flowing rivers. In any case, even as of August 2011, the Forest Department has advised WGEEP that no proper maps for proposed ESAs around these PAs have been prepared.

The Forest Department has also gone about the business of formulating the management regime around these PAs in a most unsatisfactory fashion. A notification asking the public to express their views on these issues was issued around August–September 2010. This notification specified the management regime throughout the 10 km zone.. 5 Box 10 provides the proposed management rules for the buffer areas around PAs in Kolhapur.

Box 10: Kolhapur Wild Life Division’s proposed management rules for Ecologically Sensitive Zones around Protected Areas :-

 Within the 10 km extent of ESZ an area of 1 km will be declared as a buffer zone. There will be no construction within the buffer zone. Buffer zone will be maintained free and green.
 There shall be no noise pollution in the ESZ.
 No artificial lighting will be used in ESZ.
 There shall be no industrial establishments in ESZ.
 There will be no stone quarries and mining in ESZ. No new proposal will be entertained
 No tree cutting will be permitted in private /revenue land without permission of District Collector.
 It will be essential to guard natural heritage.
 There shall be no modifications to waterfalls, caves etc.
 Special efforts will be made to save endangered plant species.
 Human heritage such as forts etc will be protected.
 Excessive use of natural water sources for industrial establishments /residential buildings will be prohibited. Similarly care will be taken to prevent water pollution.
 Use of plastic will be banned.
 Construction on hill slopes will be prohibited.
 It will be necessary to properly manage sewage.
 Pollution resulting from burning of solid wastes will be banned

To be continued ...

JAIHIND
VANDEMATHARAM