In a significant move to safeguard India's tiger habitats, the Supreme Court has issued comprehensive directives aimed at curbing ecological damage across tiger reserves.
This pivotal ruling emerged from a suo motu intervention by the Supreme Court following alarming reports of unauthorized tree felling, illegal construction, and misuse of funds within the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. An expert committee, appointed by the Court, conducted thorough investigations into these violations and proposed recommendations for ecological restoration. The Court, acknowledging the findings, emphasized that while tiger tourism plays a crucial role in public awareness, it often morphs into "mass commercial tourism" detrimental to wildlife and forest ecosystems. The judgment aims to balance ecotourism, local livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation.
The Court has categorically banned tiger safaris within core or critical tiger habitats, dictating that they be established only on non-forest or degraded forest land within buffer zones. Additionally, these safaris must operate in conjunction with fully functional rescue and rehabilitation centers for tigers, addressing conflict animals, injured, or abandoned wildlife.
Recognizing the disturbances caused by human activities and noise pollution, the Court has imposed a complete ban on night tourism within tiger reserves. In areas where roads traverse core tiger habitats, the Court has mandated strict night-time regulations, prohibiting vehicular movement from dusk to dawn, except for emergencies. Moreover, the use of mobile phones in tourism zones of core habitats is strictly prohibited to minimize noise and human interference.
The Court directed that Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) surrounding tiger reserves should adhere to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) norms. The minimum ESZ area must match the buffer or fringe area of the tiger reserve. State governments are instructed to notify ESZ boundaries within a year to ensure uniform protection standards nationwide.
All tourism infrastructure development in buffer areas must comply with ESZ notifications under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. While eco-friendly resorts may be permitted in buffer zones, no such establishments are allowed in tiger corridors. The Court has recommended promoting community-managed homestays and village-based ecotourism to ensure conservation efforts benefit local communities.
The Court has imposed a comprehensive ban on ecologically harmful activities in buffer and fringe areas, including:
These restrictions align with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The Court instructed all State Governments to prepare or revise Tiger Conservation Plans within three months, notify core and buffer areas within six months, and establish effective monitoring systems to ensure compliance with the ruling. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is appointed as the nodal agency for enforcing these directions and conducting annual ecological audits of tiger reserves. The NTCA and MoEF&CC are further tasked with submitting a joint compliance report within a year, detailing progress in implementing the Court's directives.
This verdict underscores the principle of "ecocentric jurisprudence," which prioritizes the intrinsic value of nature over anthropocentric interests. By imposing strict limits on tourism and infrastructure expansion, the Court aims to reverse the trend of ecological degradation within protected areas. This aligns with India's broader conservation goals under Project Tiger (1973), which has successfully increased the national tiger population to 3,682 as per the 2024 census, marking a global success story. Encouraging community-based tourism and homestays ensures that local economies remain linked to conservation rather than exploitation.
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