TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Ministry of Environment and Forests has “in principle” agreed to one-km buffer zone for four wildlife sanctuaries of Goa ~ Mhadei, Netravali, Bhagwan Mahaveer and Bondla. The eco-sensitive zone for the Cotigao sanctuary has been extended upto 3 kms.
In all total 33 mining leases are located within one km buffer zone, of which 20 were operational prior to the Supreme Court ban order, which would directly stand cancelled once the notification on buffer zone is issued. Adequate time would be provided to government to phase out these activities. The MoEF has also stated that the mining leases in the peripheral areas of Bhagwan Mahaveer and Netravali sanctuaries need to be phased out in a time-bound manner and no new mining activities should be allowed in the protected areas.
“Netravali and Bhagwan Mahaveer sanctuaries and National Park, since the ESZ proposed for them are already very fragmented and disturbed due to mining the State Government may be allowed to permit phasing out of mining activities over a period of time which will enable proper rehabilitation, reclamation and restoration of the eco sensitive zone. No further mining activity will be permitted beyond the time of the phasing out period recommended by the State Government,” MoEF said.
MoEF has clarified that though Goa government had proposed one-km buffer zone for all five wildlife sanctuaries and national park, it accepts the site-specific ECZ defined by its committee on buffer zone. MoEF decision comes at a time, when the issue of buffer zone is being argued by the Supreme Court, which has halted mining activities in Goa since October, last year.
MoEF in August had constituted a committee on buffer zones under the chairmanship of Dr Rajesh Gopal. The committee that paid a visit to state’s sanctuaries, last month, was asked to undertake a site-specific survey of all six protected areas in Goa, with reference to studying the topography and report on the existing natural boundaries around ~ that is outside each protected area, and provide its view points.
Accordingly, the committee on October 18 submitted its report to MoEF. The Ministry ‘in principle’ has accepted the report and has said that the draft notification defining the eco-sensitive zones around each of the six protected areas would be issued.
“A peripheral strip of land, with an average radial distance of not less than 1 km from the boundaries of the four protected areas under reference (Mhadei, Bhagwan Mahaveer, Netravali, Bondla), is required as a robust eco-sensitive zone to protect the flora / fauna of such protected areas from biotic / external pressure,” the committee suggested.
“This strip, to a large extent, may ensure the ecological integrity of portions of micro-watersheds along the periphery, besides providing extended habitat for wild flora / fauna,” it added.
The committee has said that the ridge habitat linking Bondla to Mhadei/ Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS may be protected for its corridor value.
The committee also absorbed that the boundaries of these protected areas are reportedly coterminous with the boundaries of forests notified under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Moreover, it was learnt that there are forest areas contiguous to some of the protected areas, traditionally under the control of the wildlife staff.
