Eco-fragile vulnerable areas

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Eco-fragile vulnerable areas

Posted On: 08 AUG 2024 1:19PM by PIB Delhi

The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India provides exclusive power to the Centre and the States to legislate on matters pertaining to various subjects. Land is a State subject as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India and accordingly  the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declares Eco-sensitive Areas or Eco fragile areas based on the proposals submitted by the State Governments. In addition, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change also declares Eco-sensitive Zones around Protected Areas such as National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, with the objective of creating some kind of “Shock Absorber” for the specialized Ecosystem, such as Protected Areas or other natural sites, to act as transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection. A total of 345 notifications declaring Eco-sensitive Zones covering 485 Protected Areas have been published by this Ministry. These include 11 Eco-sensitive Zone notifications covering 13 Protecting Areas in Andhra Pradesh and 22 Eco-sensitive Zone notification covering 23 Protected Areas in Gujarat.

The Eco-sensitive Zone notification mandates preparation of a Zonal Master Plan by the respective State Governments within two years of publication of the notification and is primarily required with the objective of regulating the development within the Eco-sensitive Zone and for ensuring compliance of the provisions of the Notification. Additionally, the Zonal master Plan also mandates incorporating the Tourism Master Plan and Heritage sites listing either man-made or natural structures located within the ESZ, facilitating the tourism  activities in a sustainable manner for supporting the livelihood security of the local communities while striking a balance between conservation and sustainable development.

The funds spent under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central Sector Schemes of the Ministry are also utilised for conservation, sustainability and development of such areas including eco-fragile areas.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today's