In a June 26 meeting, India’s top wildlife body approved a proposal to redraw the boundaries of the critical tiger habitat (CTH) of the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. It involved exclusion of about 48.5 sq km area, primarily from the southern and south-western parts of the Sariska’s CTH. In compensation, the state will designate around 91 sq km as ‘quality tiger habitat,’ mostly in the STR’s north. As a result, the CTH area will increase from 881.11 sq km to about 924 sq km, while the buffer zone shrinks from 245.72 sq km to 203.2 sq km.
The proposal of the Rajasthan government was cleared by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) led by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav who represents Alwar Lok Sabha seat.
The boundary ‘rationalisation’ has sparked strong reactions from conservationists who argue the decision mainly benefits mining activities, which were previously prohibited. There are at least 50 marble, dolomite, limestone and masonry mines that were closed following a prior Supreme Court order. Additionally, the decision could set a dangerous precedent across the country, legitimising similar illegal activities, they caution. If the rationalisation plan is implemented, it could have disastrous consequences for the ecologically sensitive Aravalli region, they said.
However, the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) examined human interference in Sariska and made recommendations on boundary rationalisation. The court will review the matter in the coming months.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 prescribes that the buffer zone of a tiger habitat must remain free from human activities to support conservation. As per the guidelines for declaring eco sensitive zones (ESZs) around protected areas, an area of up to a 10 km radius may be included as a ‘shock absorber.’ The currently established buffer zone of 1 km radius around the boundaries of Sariska could severely impact tiger conservation, especially because the region has a history of tiger population decline.
Chequered past
In 1992, the government regulated development activities in the Aravalli region, spanning Gurgaon and Alwar districts of Haryana and Rajasthan, through specific notifications. A CEC report in 2018 revealed that 31 Aravalli hills had disappeared due to mining in Alwar district.
Around 2004, Sariska, located in Aravalli hills, became the first tiger reserve in India to witness a local extinction of tigers — from 28 to zero — due to poaching. Subsequently, tigers were relocated from Ranthambore and it took years of concerted conservation efforts to revive the population. Currently, the tiger population in Sariska stands at 49.
Experts raise alarm
A coalition of environmentalists has urgently appealed to the Centre and the Rajasthan government to reconsider their decision to alter the boundaries of Sariska. According to Kay Nair, Co-Founder of People for Aravallis, the proposal to redraw the boundaries is flawed from both ecological and legal perspectives.
Uma Shanker Singh, former principal chief conservator of forests of Uttar Pradesh was one of the 37 retired Indian Forest Service officers who wrote to the Prime Minister in February 2025, highlighting the damage to the Aravalli range caused by mining and other activities.
“Allowing mining can have serious long-term harmful impacts on the flora and fauna of Sariska. Blasting and mining activities significantly threaten wildlife,” Singh said.
Gharial sanctuary restructuring?
In addition, the Rajasthan government is planning to ‘denotify’ a major portion from the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary (NCGWS) in Kota district, which spans Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Reports indicate the Rajasthan has directed the state wildlife authority to denotify 1 km on both sides of the Chambal river for urban expansion. It could lead to diversion of 1,060 hectare of forest land in Kota, with compensation proposed in other areas like the Dholpur-Karauli landscape.
Devvart Singh Hada of Pagmark Foundation, said the area from Kota Barrage to Hanging Bridge in NCGWS is extremely rich in biodiversity and serves as an important shock absorber for the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. “If it is denotified, it will have serious impact on the tiger rehabilitation programme at Mukundra. This will not only endanger natural habitats of wildlife but may lead to a rapid increase in human-wildlife conflict.”