Odisha Government Moves to Dilute Environmental Safeguards for Tourism
Odisha's government plans to amend Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notifications and seek central approval to use forest land for hospitality infrastructure, aiming to boost tourism. This includes re-evaluating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) classifications. Environmental law and conservation experts warn these changes could undermine forest, wildlife, and biodiversity laws, tribal rights, and India's ecological commitments, potentially allowing economic interests to override crucial environmental protections in sensitive regions.
Unpacked:
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are buffer areas around protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks created to shield wildlife and biodiversity from harmful human activities, such as mining and construction. They are important because they help maintain ecological balance and protect sensitive habitats from commercial exploitation.
Amending ESZ and CRZ rules could undermine tribal rights by opening forest and coastal lands—traditionally inhabited or used by tribal communities—to commercial tourism development. This may lead to displacement, loss of livelihood, and reduced access to natural resources for these communities.
Experts warn that relaxing ESZ and CRZ restrictions could undermine existing forest, wildlife, and biodiversity laws, risking irreversible environmental damage. They argue that prioritizing tourism infrastructure may weaken ecological protections, threaten habitats, and set a precedent for compromising conservation commitments for economic gains.
Yes. Recently, Odisha declared Similipal a new Eco-Sensitive Zone, implemented stricter monitoring (including AI cameras), and formed a committee to oversee wildlife protection, signaling a parallel commitment to conservation in certain regions even as it considers relaxing rules elsewhere.