Serious reservations are being expressed by forest and wildlife experts about the Supreme Court’s directive on Tuesday that there should be no tourism activity in the core areas of the tiger reserves.

Responding to the order, renowned conservationist and editor of Sanctuary Asia Bittu Sahgal told this newspaper: “By banning tourism in the core areas, the eyes and ears of nongovernmental agencies have been walled out of forests where tree-cutting, illegal mining, road building, poaching and worse are rampant."