About

• As a general principle, land falling within 10 kms (in some exceptional cases it can even go beyond that) 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 and are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoFCCC).
• 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. 

Activities in ESZ

• Prohibited Activities:
  • Commercial mining, stone quarrying and crushing units; major hydroelectric project; handling of hazardous substances; discharge of untreated effluents; setting up of brick kilns; setting up of polluting industries, which have high potential for environmental damage.

• Regulated Activities:

• Activities like infrastructure augmentation including civic amenities, widening of roads, non-polluting industries etc.,

• Permitted Activities:

• Ongoing agriculture and horticulture practices by local communities, dairy farming, aquaculture, fisheries, poultry farm, goat farm, food related units etc.,

Why in News?

• The MoEFCC has proposed declaring over 55,000 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) across six states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) last month to protect its biodiversity. 
• The notification was issued shortly after the Wayanad landslide in Kerala, and after the National Green Tribunal, in July 2024, directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to finalize a timeline to demarcate and declare the Western Ghats areas as ESAs. 
• However, Karnataka has requested the withdrawal of this notification, fearing it may harm local livelihoods.