These directions were issued to address increasing Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWCs) due to habitat degradation, unregulated tourism, and corridor fragmentation.
Directions issued by the Supreme Court
- Tiger Safari Restrictions: Permitted only on non-forest or degraded forest land in buffer zones;
- No safaris in core areas or designated tiger corridors.
- Night Tourism: To be banned in core/critical tiger habitats.
- Prohibited Activities: Commercial mining, polluting industries, major hydro projects, exotic species introduction, low-flying aircraft or commercial firewood extraction barred in buffer/fringe areas.
- Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs): All reserves must have their ESZs notified by the Union Ministry of Environment (on the request of states) as per the 2018 guidelines under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
- Tiger Conservation Plans (TCPs): States must prepare/revise TCPs within stipulated timelines;
- Core and buffer areas to be notified within six months.
- Natural Disaster Status: States to treat HWCs as a natural disaster to ensure rapid relief.
- Compensation: Uniform ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh for human deaths due to HWCs.
- Draft HWC mitigation guidelines: To be drafted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) within six months, and to be implemented by all States.
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