Eco-Sensitive Zones

An Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) is an area notified around a national park or wildlife sanctuary to reduce harmful pressures from activities outside the protected area. It functions as a transition or shock-absorber zone, where land uses are managed according to the ecological sensitivity and local conditions of the landscape.

Core conservation purpose

ESZs extend conservation beyond a protected area's formal boundary because ecological processes, wildlife movement, drainage, and human pressures do not stop at that boundary.

• They help protect national parks and sanctuaries from mining, industrialisation, unplanned construction, and other activities capable of degrading adjoining habitats.
• They maintain ecological connectivity and reduce habitat fragmentation, particularly where surrounding forests, corridors, catchments, or water bodies support the protected area.
• They promote environmentally compatible land use while recognising that people may live and pursue livelihoods around protected areas.

Legal and administrative basis

The Central Government notifies ESZs under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, read with the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. The Ministry's 2011 Guidelines provide the general framework, while each notification specifies the boundary and regulatory conditions for the particular protected area.

• ESZ boundaries are site-specific, reflecting ecological importance, geography, settlement patterns, and existing land use.
• ESZ notification does not ordinarily convert surrounding land into a national park or wildlife sanctuary; it regulates specified activities under environmental law.

How activities are managed

Activities are classified as prohibited, regulated, or permissible rather than being subjected to a uniform ban.

• Environmentally destructive activities, such as commercial mining and major polluting industries, are generally prohibited.
• Activities such as construction, tourism infrastructure, and tree felling may be regulated through conditions and approvals.
• Ongoing agriculture and other non-polluting livelihood activities are generally permitted, subject to the applicable notification.

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