{"id":75666,"date":"2025-11-30T10:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T05:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=75666"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:05:11","slug":"why-goa-may-get-a-tiger-reserve-cec-report-government-stand-key-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/why-goa-may-get-a-tiger-reserve-cec-report-government-stand-key-recommendations\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Goa May Get a Tiger Reserve: CEC Report, Government Stand &#038; Key Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Tiger Reserve Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court\u2019s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has advised the Goa government to create a tiger reserve in the State.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It suggested doing this in a <\/span><b>phased manner<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, indicating a gradual approach to setting up the reserve.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why the CEC Recommended a Tiger Reserve in Goa<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CEC\u2019s recommendation is rooted in earlier judicial and conservation actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In July 2023, the Bombay High Court directed the Goa government to declare five protected areas as a tiger reserve within three months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These five protected areas were:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhagwan Mahavir National Park,\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court also asked the State to prepare a <\/span><b>Tiger Conservation Plan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and settle the rights of Scheduled Tribes and forest dwellers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notably, the National Tiger Conservation Authority had already recommended these areas for tiger reserve status in 2016.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How the Goa Government Responded to the Tiger Reserve Order<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Goa government challenged the High Court\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, its own affidavit later revealed a much smaller number \u2014 roughly 1,274 households across 33 villages, amounting to 5,000\u20136,000 people.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State also argued that Goa had <\/span><b>no \u201cresident\u201d tigers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and that those seen in its forests were merely \u201ctransient.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This stance contradicted its 2018 submission before the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal, where it had asserted evidence of a resident tiger population.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had, then, described Goa\u2019s forests as part of a contiguous tiger landscape linked to Karnataka\u2019s Kali Tiger Reserve and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to these conflicting claims, the Supreme Court asked the <\/span><b>Central Empowered Committee (CEC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to conduct a site visit and examine the matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>CEC Recommendation for Goa\u2019s Tiger Reserve<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CEC\u2019s report acknowledged fears among local residents about displacement and stressed that the Goa government must reassure affected communities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It proposed creating the tiger reserve in phases, beginning with areas that are ecologically sensitive, least inhabited, and directly connected to <\/span><b>Karnataka\u2019s Kali Tiger Reserve<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which has a permanent tiger presence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Core Zone (Phase 1)<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include protected areas contiguous with Kali\u2019s core area<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary \u2014 50 households<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary \u2014 41 households<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total core area recommended: 296.7 sq km<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Buffer Zone (Phase 1)<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include areas adjoining the buffer zone of Kali Tiger Reserve with minimal habitation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Northern Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary \u2014 9 households<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhagwan Mahavir National Park \u2014 2 households<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CEC said this phased approach would minimise community disturbance while strengthening <\/span><b>landscape connectivity and ecological functionality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across the Goa\u2013Karnataka tiger habitat network.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why the Tiger Reserve Designation Matters<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Declaring an area a tiger reserve brings in greater funding for conservation, research, and habitat management compared to existing wildlife sanctuaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also requires dividing the landscape into core and buffer zones.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Core zones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> must remain inviolate, meaning human presence is discouraged. Residents cannot be forced out, but they may be offered incentives to voluntarily relocate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Buffer zones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allow regulated human activities and do not need to be free of habitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This zoning helps strengthen tiger protection while balancing community interests.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How a Tiger Reserve Is Declared in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To create a tiger reserve, the state government first identifies a suitable area and submits a detailed proposal to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/national-tiger-conservation-authority-ntca\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NTCA evaluates the site\u2019s ecological suitability and tiger habitat potential, then forwards its recommendation to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following this, the state issues a preliminary notification, invites and addresses objections, and finally issues a formal notification under <\/span><b>Section 38V<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, officially designating the area as a tiger reserve.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/why-has-goa-been-asked-to-set-up-a-tiger-reserve-explained\/article70339458.ece#:~:text=The%20order%20stemmed%20from%20a,be%20declared%20a%20tiger%20reserve.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a>\u00a0 |<a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/goa\/start-notifying-tiger-reserve-in-3-months-sc-panel-to-goa\/articleshow\/125548380.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TOI<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/ntca.gov.in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NTCA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore why the CEC pushed for a tiger reserve in Goa, the government\u2019s objections, ecological reasons, and how India declares tiger reserves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":75910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,3953,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-75666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-tiger-reserve","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}