Why Goa May Get a Tiger Reserve: CEC Report, Government Stand & Key Recommendations

Tiger Reserve Latest News

• The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has advised the Goa government to create a tiger reserve in the State. 
• It suggested doing this in a phased manner, indicating a gradual approach to setting up the reserve.

Why the CEC Recommended a Tiger Reserve in Goa

• The CEC’s recommendation is rooted in earlier judicial and conservation actions. 
• In July 2023, the Bombay High Court directed the Goa government to declare five protected areas as a tiger reserve within three months.
• These five protected areas were:
  • Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, 
  • Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, 
  • Bhagwan Mahavir National Park, 
  • Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, and 
  • Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The order followed a petition by the Goa Foundation after a tigress and her three cubs were allegedly poisoned in the Mhadei Sanctuary in 2020. 
• The Court also asked the State to prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan and settle the rights of Scheduled Tribes and forest dwellers. 
• Notably, the National Tiger Conservation Authority had already recommended these areas for tiger reserve status in 2016.

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How the Goa Government Responded to the Tiger Reserve Order

• The Goa government challenged the High Court’s directive by filing a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, claiming that declaring the areas as a tiger reserve would affect nearly one lakh people. 
  • However, its own affidavit later revealed a much smaller number — roughly 1,274 households across 33 villages, amounting to 5,000–6,000 people.
• The State also argued that Goa had no “resident” tigers and that those seen in its forests were merely “transient.” 
  • This stance contradicted its 2018 submission before the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal, where it had asserted evidence of a resident tiger population.
  • It had, then, described Goa’s forests as part of a contiguous tiger landscape linked to Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Due to these conflicting claims, the Supreme Court asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to conduct a site visit and examine the matter. 

CEC Recommendation for Goa’s Tiger Reserve

• The CEC’s report acknowledged fears among local residents about displacement and stressed that the Goa government must reassure affected communities.
• It proposed creating the tiger reserve in phases, beginning with areas that are ecologically sensitive, least inhabited, and directly connected to Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve, which has a permanent tiger presence.

Core Zone (Phase 1)

• Include protected areas contiguous with Kali’s core area
• Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary — 50 households
• Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary — 41 households
• Total core area recommended: 296.7 sq km

Buffer Zone (Phase 1)

• Include areas adjoining the buffer zone of Kali Tiger Reserve with minimal habitation
• Northern Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary — 9 households
• Bhagwan Mahavir National Park — 2 households
• The CEC said this phased approach would minimise community disturbance while strengthening landscape connectivity and ecological functionality across the Goa–Karnataka tiger habitat network.

Why the Tiger Reserve Designation Matters

• Declaring an area a tiger reserve brings in greater funding for conservation, research, and habitat management compared to existing wildlife sanctuaries. 
• It also requires dividing the landscape into core and buffer zones.
  • Core zones must remain inviolate, meaning human presence is discouraged. Residents cannot be forced out, but they may be offered incentives to voluntarily relocate.
  • Buffer zones allow regulated human activities and do not need to be free of habitation.
• This zoning helps strengthen tiger protection while balancing community interests.

How a Tiger Reserve Is Declared in India

• To create a tiger reserve, the state government first identifies a suitable area and submits a detailed proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). 
• The NTCA evaluates the site’s ecological suitability and tiger habitat potential, then forwards its recommendation to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Following this, the state issues a preliminary notification, invites and addresses objections, and finally issues a formal notification under Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, officially designating the area as a tiger reserve.

Source: TH  |TOI | NTCA