SC clears denotification of GIB sanctuary
SC clears denotification of GIB sanctuary
Jul 24, 2011, 11.42PM IST
NAGPUR: Finally, the Supreme Court has cleared the long-pending denotification of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary at Nannaj in Solapur district. From 8,496 sq km earlier, the sanctuary will now be restricted to 1,222 sq km.
The SC decision came on Friday. However, MK Rao, chief conservator of forest ( CCF)) for Pune wildlife circle, said, "The detailed order is awaited but we've heard that the SC has allowed our prayer. The committee on rationalization of boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had recommended an area of 1,222 sq km," Rao told TOI on Sunday.
According to last year's GIB census, there are nine birds in Nannaj, but the number may be well over 30, if one also considers census figures over the last four years.
The matter was pending in the court since 2006. On October 20, 2008, the SC had directed the committee for rationalization of boundaries to recommend the area of the GIB sanctuary. Accordingly, a committee headed by VB Sawarkar, ex-director of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recommended denotification of two sanctuaries in Maharashtra on the precondition of declaring some new sanctuaries.
The news sanctuaries that were to be declared included Mansinghdeo at Nagpur (183 sq km), Rajmachi, Thane, Pune, Alibaug (122.96 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni, Western Ghats (220.18 sq km), Tipagarh, Gadchiroli (52.4 sq km), Kopela-Koramarka, Gadchiroli (90.93 sq km), and Isapur Bird Sanctuary, Yavatmal (121.55 sq km). Of these, only Mansinghdeo has been declared as a sanctuary.
The central committee had visited Bhimashakar and GIB sanctuaries from November 29 to December 2, 2009, to study the Maharashtra government's proposal to denotify these two sanctuaries.
The drastic decrease in GIB area from 8,496 sq km to 1,222 sq km will bring protected area (PA) network in the state from 4.97% to 2.6% i.e. from 15,332 sq km to 8,059 sq km - a sharp drop of 60.55%. As per the recommendation of WII, PA area should be 5% of the total land area of the state.
Pune-based Dr Pramod Patil, who works for conservation of the grassland birds and also runs the GIB Foundation, hailed the court verdict. "While establishing the GIB sanctuary in 1979, it was a mistake by authorities to include such a huge area under PA network. After the enforcement of wildlife laws became stricter, people started feeling the heat and the public opinion turned against GIBs, harming the cause," said Dr Patil.
Dr Patil added that now problems of locals will be solved. "A separate area for GIBs will help strike a balance between development and conservation. Now, the department should focus on how GIBs can be conserved," said Dr Patil.
