New Delhi | The Centre is considering a proposal to allow the voluntary relocation of human habitations from biodiversity-rich areas and designated wildlife corridors to reduce pressure on fragile ecosystems and improve living conditions for local communities.
The issue was listed for discussion at the 85th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) held on Tuesday. There was no immediate official word on what transpired with regard to the proposal.
At present, voluntary relocation is allowed only from the core areas of tiger reserves. However, many other protected landscapes, including biodiversity-rich zones, buffer regions and wildlife corridors, also have human settlements but do not come under the existing policy framework.
According to the proposal, communities living in such areas often face recurring human-wildlife conflicts, including destruction of crops, predation on livestock and in some cases direct threats to human safety from animals like tigers, leopards and elephants.
The proposal notes that these challenges are compounded by poor access to infrastructure and essential services such as roads, healthcare, electricity and education.
"While residents bear the cost of conservation", they do not receive "proportional benefits", leading many families to express a "strong desire" to relocate voluntarily to areas with "better economic opportunities", it said.
The proposal said that wildlife corridors are crucial for landscape conservation, facilitating the movement of species and ensuring genetic exchange between populations.
Corridor fragmentation, it cautioned, may "disrupt migratory paths for wildlife" and over time lead to the "collapse of mega mammals".
"Some of the corridors are very important, no way less than critical habitat," it said.
It also said that relocation does not necessarily lead to loss of forests, as it is essentially "bartering of one forest area for another" for the benefit of society.
Extending voluntary relocation provisions beyond tiger reserves, the proposal said, will generate multiple benefits for both local communities and wildlife.
