The Forest Department has assured to conduct research and census of wildlife in a more transparent manner with the involvement of NGOs and students of various institutions from the State.

The Central government in its notification on eco-sensitive zones, also known as buffer zones, around wildlife sanctuaries has asked the state government to prepare zonal master plans in consultati

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has notified a 1-km eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) for five wildlife sanctuaries and a 3-km zone for Cotigao wildlife sanctuary recently.

The ministry in its notification has prohibited all new and existing mining of minor and major minerals, stone quarrying and crushing units with immediate effect in all the six sanctuaries

No mining will be allowed around the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of six wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Goa with the Environment Ministry today imposing a ban on such activities. The central government shall also constitute state level ESZ Monitoring Committee (SESZMC) under section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 to monitor the compliance of the ESZ notification for the state.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has “in principle” agreed to one-km buffer zone for four wildlife sanctuaries of Goa ~ Mhadei, Netravali, Bhagwan Mahaveer and Bondla. The eco-sensitive zone for the Cotigao sanctuary has been extended upto 3 kms.

In all total 33 mining leases are located within one km buffer zone, of which 20 were operational prior to the Supreme Court ban order, which would directly stand cancelled once the notification on buffer zone is issued.

All 22 working mining leases within the one km buffer zone of wildlife sanctuaries in the state will have to be shut down in a phased manner with a time-bound closure plan, as recommended by a comm

The govt is treading cautiously inorder to develop infrastructure for the tribal community and at the same time maintains no human habitat near the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

The State government will have to strike a fine balance between human and animal welfare, as it plans to develop infrastructure for the tribal community located within the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in Canacona.

PANJIM: Giving up its initial reluctance to include Goa region of Western Ghat in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO, Forest Department has finally admitted that Goa along with contiguous forests of Karnataka and Maharashtra, is one of the best potential tiger habitat in this bio-diversity hotspot.

It has been alleged that various governments were dragging their feet on declaration of Western Ghat region as sanctuary for ‘tiger reserve’ since it would lead to the closure of at least 40 mining leases, 20 of which are active.

Notwithstanding Opposition from the locals, the Forest department will go ahead with the public hearing at Cotigao for Critical Wildlife Habitat (CWH) scheduled on September 30.
The residence of Cotigao and surrounding villagers are likely to strongly object to the declaration of the sanctuary as CWH during the public hearing on Thursday.

Bondla wildlife sanctuary would be the first one to get tagged as Critical Wildlife Habitat (CHW), as entire process for the sanctuary to be notified is over.