Team News Riveting
Raipur, October 15
Lemru would not be an elephant sanctuary or reserve, instead it would be a “conservation reserve” that would facilitate people to enjoy all the rights.
The Chhattisgarh government has proposed a “reserve” in Lemru that has sparked controversy with people coming out against the plan. A majority of villages are opposing the project assuming they will be rehabilitated from their ancestral land.
However, Chhattisgarh’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in his letter dated October 13, 2020 had clarified that a conservation reserve under section 36A in The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 has been proposed in Lemru.
The provision says the State Government may, after having consultations with the local communities, declare any area owned by the Government, particularly the areas adjacent to National Parks and sanctuaries and those areas which link one protected area with another, as a conservation reserve for protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat: Provided that where the conservation reserve includes any land owned by the Central Government, its prior concurrence shall be obtained before making such declaration.
“No resettlement or rehabilitation of existing villages are recommended and the forest division will involve the people dependent on forests for better management of forests and ensuring that the rights of people traditionally dependent on forests for livelihood are least affected,” the letter said.
The forests and community rights would however not remain affected in the conservation reserve areas.
Conservation reserves are declared for the purpose of protecting landscapes, flora and fauna and their habitat outside protected areas. They are often declared with a focus on flagship species such as elephant, tiger, leopard etc.
There are 86 existing Conservation Reserves in India covering an area of 3858.25 square km, which is 0.12 per cent of the geographical area of the country (National Wildlife Database, March. 2020).
