Bhubaneswar: The central government has directed the Odisha government to revise the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) plan for Satkosia Tiger Reserve after National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) flagged several shortcomings in the state’s draft proposal.
In December, the wildlife wing of the Forest department had submitted a plan with an outlay of Rs 99 crore to take up an eco-tourism project in the tiger reserve.
The NTCA pointed out that the ESZ boundary does not fully align with norms, which require it to fully incorporate buffer zones around the tiger reserve’s core and critical habitats and a minimum radial buffer of 1 km from the boundary of the core/critical tiger habitat wherever buffer is fragmented or abs
ent. The proposed ESZ for Satkosia excludes portions of the buffer in the northern, western, and eastern sectors, representing a clear deviation from these norms.
The WII highlighted positive developments in the region while stressing appropriate conservation planning. “Considering the recent recovery of tiger population in Similipal and the resurgence of prey population in Satkosia following voluntary relocation of human settlements, it is important that the corridor between Satkosia and Similipal needs serious evaluation and appropriate conservation planning,” the TNIE reported, quoting the agency’s observations.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has instructed Odisha’s wildlife wing to review the NTCA and WII thoroughly and resubmit a revised proposal, it added.
Satkosia Tiger Reserve, spanning parts of Angul, Cuttack, Boudh, and Nayagarh districts, supports a riverine ecosystem along the Mahanadi River and remains a key habitat for tigers and other biodiversity.