Why is Kerala protesting the Supreme Court’s ESZ notification?

What’s the news?

The Supreme Court order on June 3 directing the government to create a 1 Km eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around all wildlife sanctuaries and national parks has triggered widespread protests in the high ranges of Kerala.
On July 7, the Kerala State Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Central government to exclude the State’s human habitations, farmlands and public institutions from the purview of the Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ).

Why is ESZ notification controversial in Kerala?

The State is worried about SC order because of its unique landscape. Nearly 30% of Kerala is forested land and the Western Ghats occupies 48% of the State.
There is the network of lakes and canals and wetlands and the 590-kilometers-long coastline, which are all governed by a series of environmental conservation and protection legislations, leaving little space for its 3.5 crore population to occupy.
With an average population density of 900 persons per square kilometre, much higher than the national average, the demographic pressure on the available land is unusually high in the State.

How did the state’s earlier efforts to draft ESZ notifications go?

Earlier, while preparing the draft ESZ notifications for its protected areas including the Malabar, Idukki, Aralam, Kottiyoor, Shendurney and Wayanad wildlife sanctuaries, the State Government had taken care to exclude the areas with high population density, government and quasi-government institutions, and public institutions from the ambit of the notification.
The marking of the ESZ for the protected areas that shared the forest boundary with the neighboring States was a peaceful affair as there were no human habitations in between.
However, the apex court’s recent order has changed the picture and forced the State government to re-look the ESZs of at least 10 protected areas which were earlier marked as zero.

Additional Information

About Eco-sensitive zone(ESZ)

ESAs are defined as those areas that are ecologically and economically important, but vulnerable even to mild disturbances, and hence demand careful management.
As a general principle, land falling within 10 kms of the boundaries of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are categorized as Eco-Fragile Zones or Eco-sensitive Zones.
They are declared under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The purpose of declaring Eco-sensitive Zones around National parks and Sanctuaries is to create some kind of ”Shock Absorber” for the Protected Areas. They would also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.
The activities in the eco-sensitive zones would be of a regulatory nature rather than prohibitive nature, unless and otherwise so required.

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