In Focus Weekend | Kaziranga’s eco-sensitive zone: What changes with a smaller buffer?

By The Hindu

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Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at the centre of a debate over how much protection should extend beyond its boundaries. The Assam government has proposed a site-specific Eco-Sensitive Zone of around 1-3 km in different stretches, replacing the 10-km buffer currently applicable to Kaziranga. In this episode, we unpack what an Eco-Sensitive Zone actually does, why these zones are created around protected areas, and what the Supreme Court has said about their minimum extent and site-specific nature. The conversation looks at the legal process for changing Kaziranga’s ESZ, the concerns of communities living around the park, and the importance of areas outside the national park that are used by wildlife. We also examine what a narrower ESZ could mean for development and tourism around Kaziranga, as well as concerns over mining and quarrying in the wider Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. Guest: Ritwick Dutta, Environmental lawyer and Managing Trustee, Legal In

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