It’s now official. Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries and its national park will have a one kilometer buffer zone, and its sole bird sanctuary will have only a 100-metre eco-sensitive zone.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), while protecting wildlife and bio-diversity, has taken into consideration the views of the people and allowed development over environment and ecology, besides aligning with the mining industry to allow mining operations in eco-sensitive zones for 10 years.
The ministry has also removed nearly 21 villages from the eco-sensitive zones of the protected areas – 12 in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, five in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and four from Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.
Moreover, around 61 villages that are partially located in these protected areas have been granted certain relaxations. Here the villagers have been allowed to carry out development as well as various businesses including agricultural and eco-friendly tourism activities. At the same time, forests, horticultural areas, agricultural areas, tribal areas, parks and open spaces earmarked for recreational purposes in the Eco-sensitive Zone conversion have been banned along with commercial or industrial related development activities.
“It’s a welcome move by the ministry. It has balanced well between the protection of human settlement and so also the wildlife and bio-diversity. The declaration of wildlife sanctuaries and its buffer zone would have affected the inhabitants of the forests which are hundreds of families,” environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar told Herald.
The activist believes that “the efforts of the Ministry will be recognized only if the State government ensures that both the sides – people as well as wildlife – are protected without harming each other”.
Former health minister and present Congress MLA from Valpoi, Vishwajit Rane had in 2012, on the heels of the State Assembly election, approached the court seeking the de-notification of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, in view of thousands of people being affected, with government imposing several restrictions. However, Rane had failed in his endeavour, with the State government ruling out any such possibility.
This fresh notification was issued on February 25, after seeking necessary suggestions and comments from the stakeholders, including the public.
“Ministry has taken care of the people, who would have been part of the area demarcated as buffer zone. Their livelihood would have been affected. People had raised their issues before the government authorities and their voices have been heard,” environmentalist Ramesh Gawas said.
The ministry has also given major relief to mine owners, while agreeing with the State demand to phase out mines within the one-kilometer buffer zone of wildlife sanctuaries and national park within a period of 10 years. However, this relaxation has been granted to the Netravali and Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuaries only.
MoEF has also made it mandatory for the State to draft a master-plan for the eco-sensitive zones and also to constitute a State Level Eco-sensitive Zone Monitoring Committee to monitor the set guidelines.
