Addressed to:
Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister, MoEfCC
Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhajan Lal Sharma
Rajasthan Forest Department
Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Demands:
Reject the current proposal to redraw the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) boundaries of Sariska. The existing demarcation, developed through a participatory process, must be respected.
Uphold the Supreme Court’s May 2024 directive to close down illegal mining near Sariska and other protected areas.
Increase the buffer zone to at least 1 km around Sariska and other Protected Areas, in line with wildlife movement needs and conservation best practices.
Protect the ecological corridors that connect tiger habitats. These corridors are crucial for genetic diversity and the long-term survival of tigers.
The Government in Rajasthan has proposed to redraw the boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve’s Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) and buffer areas in a bid to boost mining and other development activities in the Aravalli hills. The proposal has received the approval of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), Rajasthan State Board for Wildlife, and National Tiger Conservation Authority.
If given a nod by the Supreme Court, this move could enable 50+ marble, dolomite, limestone, and masonry mines to restart operations around Sariska, thereby adversely affecting the tiger population and the ecology of the eco-sensitive area. This proposal goes against a recent Supreme Court directive issued in May 2024, which clearly ordered the closure of illegal mines within 1 km radius of Sariska’s Critical Tiger Habitat.
“The Rajasthan government had proposed certain hilly and peripheral areas for exclusion from CTH and the addition of areas from the buffer zone to the CTH.” [1]
“Following the alteration in the tiger reserve’s boundaries, the critical tiger habitat will increase from 881.11 sq km to 924.49 sq km, and the buffer area will decrease from 245.72 sq km to 203.2 sq km, as per the SCNBWL minutes.” [1]
Sariska, which is one of India’s oldest tiger reserves, is home to leopards, hyenas, jackals and hundreds of plant and other animal species.
If its core zones are reduced, not only will tiger habitats shrink, but the forest’s natural buffer against climate change, water scarcity, and pollution will be weakened. The areas marked for exclusion include vital corridors crucial for the internal movement of the tigers, tiger's seasonal refuge and territorial establishment. This will exacerbate human-animal conflict.
The tiger is India’s national animal and a symbol of our ecological richness and national pride. India’s conservation efforts to protect this endangered species have gained global recognition and established us as a leader in wildlife conservation. But redrawing the boundaries of the tiger’s habitat to make way for mining and commercial activity sends a troubling message that erodes, both our national pride and global standing. We cannot make claims to honour our national animal while destroying the very ecosystems that sustain it.
We are urging the authorities to halt the boundary rationalisation process and refrain from issuing a final gazette notification that could alter India’s tiger conservation efforts forever! Today, Sariska’s tiger count is at a historic 49, a feat that took decades of relentless efforts. The proposed rationalisation plan could cause a major blow to this historic feat.
Sources:
[1] Decks cleared to redraw critical tiger habitat boundary of Sariska Tiger Reserve
[3] Move to redraw boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve to facilitate mining draws flak from experts
[4] Environmentalists urge Centre to scrap Sariska boundary change proposal
Addressed to:
Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister, MoEfCC
Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhajan Lal Sharma
Rajasthan Forest Department
Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Demands:
Reject the current proposal to redraw the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) boundaries of Sariska. The existing demarcation, developed through a participatory process, must be respected.
Uphold the Supreme Court’s May 2024 directive to close down illegal mining near Sariska and other protected areas.
Increase the buffer zone to at least 1 km around Sariska and other Protected Areas, in line with wildlife movement needs and conservation best practices.
Protect the ecological corridors that connect tiger habitats. These corridors are crucial for genetic diversity and the long-term survival of tigers.
The Government in Rajasthan has proposed to redraw the boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve’s Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) and buffer areas in a bid to boost mining and other development activities in the Aravalli hills. The proposal has received the approval of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), Rajasthan State Board for Wildlife, and National Tiger Conservation Authority.
If given a nod by the Supreme Court, this move could enable 50+ marble, dolomite, limestone, and masonry mines to restart operations around Sariska, thereby adversely affecting the tiger population and the ecology of the eco-sensitive area. This proposal goes against a recent Supreme Court directive issued in May 2024, which clearly ordered the closure of illegal mines within 1 km radius of Sariska’s Critical Tiger Habitat.
“The Rajasthan government had proposed certain hilly and peripheral areas for exclusion from CTH and the addition of areas from the buffer zone to the CTH.” [1]
“Following the alteration in the tiger reserve’s boundaries, the critical tiger habitat will increase from 881.11 sq km to 924.49 sq km, and the buffer area will decrease from 245.72 sq km to 203.2 sq km, as per the SCNBWL minutes.” [1]
Sariska, which is one of India’s oldest tiger reserves, is home to leopards, hyenas, jackals and hundreds of plant and other animal species.
If its core zones are reduced, not only will tiger habitats shrink, but the forest’s natural buffer against climate change, water scarcity, and pollution will be weakened. The areas marked for exclusion include vital corridors crucial for the internal movement of the tigers, tiger's seasonal refuge and territorial establishment. This will exacerbate human-animal conflict.
The tiger is India’s national animal and a symbol of our ecological richness and national pride. India’s conservation efforts to protect this endangered species have gained global recognition and established us as a leader in wildlife conservation. But redrawing the boundaries of the tiger’s habitat to make way for mining and commercial activity sends a troubling message that erodes, both our national pride and global standing. We cannot make claims to honour our national animal while destroying the very ecosystems that sustain it.
We are urging the authorities to halt the boundary rationalisation process and refrain from issuing a final gazette notification that could alter India’s tiger conservation efforts forever! Today, Sariska’s tiger count is at a historic 49, a feat that took decades of relentless efforts. The proposed rationalisation plan could cause a major blow to this historic feat.
Sources:
[1] Decks cleared to redraw critical tiger habitat boundary of Sariska Tiger Reserve
[3] Move to redraw boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve to facilitate mining draws flak from experts
[4] Environmentalists urge Centre to scrap Sariska boundary change proposal