{"id":82916,"date":"2026-01-17T11:10:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=82916"},"modified":"2026-02-07T08:32:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T03:02:42","slug":"wildlife-sanctuaries-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wildlife-sanctuaries-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidelines on Religious Structures in Wildlife Sanctuaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Wildlife Sanctuaries Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An apex wildlife advisory body has prepared draft guidelines regulating the diversion of forest land inside wildlife sanctuaries for religious structures.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Background: Protected Areas and Legal Framework in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s wildlife sanctuaries and national parks are governed under the <\/span><b>Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which aims to protect wildlife habitats from human-induced pressures.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any non-forest activity within protected areas is highly regulated and generally discouraged unless it meets strict conservation criteria.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/forest-conservation-act-1980\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980<\/b><\/a><b>,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> places restrictions on the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per this law, forest land diversion after 1980 requires explicit approval from the central government, reinforcing the principle that ecological protection must take precedence over development or encroachment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Role of the National Board for Wildlife<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an apex advisory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It evaluates proposals related to infrastructure and land-use changes within protected wildlife habitats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Committee\u2019s recommendations play a critical role in determining whether activities within sanctuaries align with conservation objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The formulation of guidelines on religious structures falls within this mandate, given the potential ecological consequences of such constructions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Context for Framing the Guidelines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue gained prominence following a proposal involving the <\/span><b>Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where diversion of forest land was sought for a religious establishment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although initial approval was granted, it was later revoked after concerns were raised about the absence of recorded forest rights and the risk of setting a precedent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This episode highlighted the lack of a uniform framework to assess similar proposals across States.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also exposed governance gaps in cases where religious sites exist within forested areas but lack legal recognition in settlement records.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Key Provisions of the Draft Guidelines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The draft guidelines prepared by the apex wildlife body lay down the following principles:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Post-1980 constructions on forest land<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are to be treated as encroachments as a general rule.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Regularisation of existing structures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may be considered only in exceptional cases where the State government provides a reasoned and documented justification.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Expansion of religious structures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within sanctuaries is generally prohibited. Limited expansion may be allowed only if required for managing ecological conflict or essential public utilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Case-by-case scrutiny<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is mandated, with final decisions resting with the central government after ecological assessment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These guidelines are currently under deliberation by State governments before final adoption.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Balancing Faith, Ecology, and Governance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s forests often contain sacred groves, caves, and pilgrimage sites that predate modern conservation laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While cultural and religious practices are constitutionally protected, they cannot override environmental safeguards in ecologically sensitive zones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unchecked construction can fragment habitats, increase human-wildlife conflict, and undermine conservation goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The guidelines seek to strike a balance by recognising historical presence without legitimising fresh encroachments or large-scale development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Implications for Wildlife Conservation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If implemented effectively, the guidelines can:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prevent gradual erosion of protected areas through incremental construction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish uniform standards for States when dealing with sensitive land diversion requests.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen the legal position of conservation authorities in resisting non-essential activities inside sanctuaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, inconsistent enforcement or political pressure could dilute their impact, making monitoring and transparency crucial.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/apex-wildlife-body-readies-guidelines-on-religious-structures-in-sanctuaries\/article70515467.ece#:~:text=These%20guidelines%E2%80%94though%20still%20being,meeting%2C%20the%20meeting%20records%20note.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The guidelines on religious structures in wildlife sanctuaries highlight India\u2019s conservation framework and the balance between ecological protection and human activity in protected areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":86489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,4775],"class_list":{"0":"post-82916","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-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","11":"tag-wildlife-sanctuaries","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82916","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\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}