Core and Buffer Zonation of Tiger Reserves

A legally notified tiger reserve is divided into a core area and a surrounding buffer area to apply different intensities of conservation management. The core is meant to remain secure and inviolate for tiger conservation, while the buffer protects the core, facilitates dispersal and accommodates regulated human-wildlife coexistence.

Legal basis and location

Under Section 38V, a State Government notifies an area as a tiger reserve on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The reserve comprises differently managed core and buffer zones.

• The core, legally termed the core or critical tiger habitat, comprises areas of national parks and sanctuaries required to be kept inviolate for tiger conservation.
• The buffer or peripheral area lies around the core and requires a comparatively lesser degree of habitat protection to preserve the core's integrity and provide space for tiger dispersal.

Conservation purpose and permitted interface

The core prioritises secure habitat for breeding tiger populations and their prey, whereas the buffer reduces pressures on the core and supports ecological connectivity. The buffer is designed to promote coexistence between wildlife and human activity, but it is not an unrestricted development zone.

• Core boundaries are determined through scientific and objective criteria in consultation with an expert committee.
• Buffer limits are determined scientifically in consultation with the concerned Gram Sabha and an expert committee.
• Land uses in either zone remain subject to the applicable wildlife, forest and environmental laws and the Tiger Conservation Plan.

Rights and relocation safeguards

Core designation does not itself authorise eviction. The law protects the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers, and relocation for creating an inviolate area is permissible only after rights are recognised and statutory safeguards, including informed consent and a resettlement package, are fulfilled.

• Buffer management must recognise local livelihood, developmental, social and cultural rights while pursuing conservation.
• Thus, inviolate conservation is the governing objective in the core, while conservation with regulated coexistence is the governing approach in the buffer.