Ecologically sensitive zones are intended to protect ‘protected areas’ – national parks and wildlife sanctuaries – by transitioning from an area of lower protection to an area of higher protection. Protected areas cover 5.26% of India’s land area as 108 national parks and 564 wildlife sanctuaries. The ESZs span notified forests outside protected areas, most of which could also come …
Published : Jul 24, 2022 18:00 IST Existing forest laws in India largely put the state in charge of environmental protection, which tends to create an imbalance of power between vulnerable forest-dwelling communities and the authorities. The new rules will allow private developers to clear forest land for compensatory afforestation and development and infrastructure projects without the prior consent of …