Chennai, Dec 3 (IANS) The long-pending process of demarcating eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around protected areas has taken a significant step forward in Tamil Nadu, with the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) submitting a draft ESZ map for the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary in Tiruvallur district.

The state government has forwarded the proposal to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for approval, marking steady progress toward compliance with a Supreme Court directive.

According to a senior official, the apex court issued strict instructions after several states repeatedly missed earlier deadlines to define ESZs for all protected areas. The court mandated that every sanctuary or national park must have a clearly mapped buffer zone to regulate activities that could harm fragile ecosystems.

In the absence of such mapping, a default 10-km ESZ automatically applies, triggering sweeping restrictions on development and any activity that may disturb wildlife.

Officials observed that such blanket restrictions are often impractical, especially around Pulicat, where fishing settlements, agricultural fields and long-established habitations lie close to the sanctuary limits.

Enforcing a uniform 10-km zone, they said, could lead to major disruptions in the lives and livelihoods of local communities. Recognising Pulicat’s socio-ecological complexity, NCSCM scientists conducted a detailed assessment before drafting the ESZ boundaries.

Pulicat, India’s second-largest brackish water lagoon, is encircled by over 40 fishing hamlets whose residents depend heavily on both fishing and agriculture. In several stretches, farmlands abut the sanctuary boundary, making rigid zoning impractical. Researchers said the mapping exercise was guided by the principle of balancing ecological conservation with the rights and needs of communities that have lived around the lagoon for generations.

The objective was to ensure adequate ecological buffers without hindering traditional livelihood practices that are closely intertwined with the wetland ecosystem.

A senior wildlife official noted that the work gained momentum only after the state furnished the required datasets earlier this year. Given the coastal complexity and dense human presence around Pulicat, scientists spent more than six months preparing a scientifically robust boundary for the proposed ESZ.

The MoEFCC will now review the draft, following which it will be released for public consultation before final notification.

–IANS

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