Almost 13 years after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to safeguard protected areas of wildlife sanctuaries by surrounding them with a buffer of ecologically fragile areas, the Environment Ministry on Friday approved the eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) for 11 sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu and one each in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary, Megamalai Wildlife sanctuary, Vettangudi Birds sanctuary and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra will have ESZs.

A ESZ works as a shock absorber to the protected areas as certain activities such as mining, quarrying or heavy construction are banned around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to minimise negative impact on the fragile ecosystem around.

Making the announcement on social media, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “To help scientific conservation of ecosystems and at the same time giving relief to the people in the area, I have approved final eco-sensitive zone notifications.”

In a series of tweets, he named all the sanctuaries brought under the notification.

“I have also approved final eco-sensitive zone notification in respect of Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra,” the Minister tweeted.

Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary, Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel sanctuary, , Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park,  Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary, Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary, Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary, Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary and Point Calemere Wildlife Sanctuary have also got the ecological cushion.

“This scientific demarcation of final eco-sensitive zones and 10 km from the protected areas will help farmers, artisans, rural people, small businesses as the uncertainty has now gone,” he tweeted.

The Ministry had earlier said till June 25, over 30 per cent of India’’s protected area (PA) has been covered under the final ecologically sensitive zone notification.

According to the Ministry, out of the 651 protected areas in India, 316 have been covered under the final ESZ notification which provides for prohibition of mining, stone quarrying and crushing units located within one km of such protected areas.

The Supreme Court in December 2006 had directed all the States to demarcate ESZs within four weeks. As the States failed to comply, the apex court ordered the creation of ESZs, extending up to 10 km from the protected areas. The ESZ notifications are issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Environment (Protection) Rules 1986.