Giving relief to environmentalists and nature lovers in the country,
the apex court has issued a landmark ruling regarding the tourist activities in
the tiger reserves in India. The Supreme Court has ordered a carpet ban on the
tourism activities in the core zones of the protected areas in the country which
are declared tiger reserves.
This applies to the 40 tiger reserves in the country.
The court
has also slapped a 10000 rupees fine for six states which have shown laxity in implementing
the tiger protection directives issued earlier. The order comes at a time when
the country is recording high tiger mortality from its protected areas mainly
due to poaching and other factors related to human intervention.
Environmentalists and nature lovers across the country and elsewhere have welcomed the ruling, as they hope it may help improve the conservation status of the striped cat in the jungles of India. According to latest available tiger census report, India houses some 1700 tigers. The figure is a pathetic number for the country which is estimated to have a 100000 strength tiger population a century ago.
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| Chital trying to cross the road as tourist vehicles approach in Kalakkadu Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu Photo: Indian Biodiversity Talks |
Environmentalists and nature lovers across the country and elsewhere have welcomed the ruling, as they hope it may help improve the conservation status of the striped cat in the jungles of India. According to latest available tiger census report, India houses some 1700 tigers. The figure is a pathetic number for the country which is estimated to have a 100000 strength tiger population a century ago.
The court has issued the verdict during the hearing of a public
interest litigation filed by conservation activist Ajay Dubey against
commercial tourist activities in the core areas of tiger reserves in the country.
Though a majority of the tourism activities in India’s tiger
reserves takes place in the buffer zones- an area of 10 km radius from the
boundary of the tiger reserves-, certain states have made some relaxations for
some tourist activities like safaris and trekking into the core areas. Most often,
the restrictions are lifted for religious occasions related to pilgrim centersinside the forest areas.
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