Patna, Aug. 22: The Union environment and forests department is working on plans to identify, delineate and declare eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) around 11 wildlife sanctuaries in the state.

The initiative is being taken to provide a buffer zone for transition from areas of high protection to low protection. The ESZs would be spread across five to 10km depending upon the size of the sanctuary.

“The department intends to prepare proposals for declaration of ESZs around 11 notified wildlife sanctuaries — Udaipur, Vikramshila, Bhimbandh, Kaimur, Pant, Kanwar Lake, Kusheshwar Asthan, Baraila Jheel, Nagi Dam, Nakti Dam and Gautam Budha — across the state in pursuance of the guidelines of the ministry of environment and forests. The department is in the process of engaging agencies having expertise in such activities. The agencies are likely to be selected by mid-October and it would be given a maximum of three months to complete the required work,” said a senior official of the department.

In a letter dated February 9, 2011, the Union ministry issued guidelines to the chief wildlife wardens of all states /Union Territories regarding declaration of ESZs around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The letter stated that the guidelines were issued as very few states forwarded proposals despite the National Board for Wildlife’s decision on March 17, 2005, asking the states and UTs to send proposals for declaration of ESZs.

Regarding procedure for declaration of ESZ, the guidelines prescribe that once the proposal is finalised by the respective chief wildlife warden, it is to be forwarded to the ministry for processing and notification.

“The basic aim of declaring ESZ is to regularise certain activities around the wildlife sanctuaries to minimise the negative impacts of such activities in the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected area. Consequently, the proposal to be sent by the chief wildlife warden for declaration of ESZ should group the activities in the buffer zone around the protected area as prohibited, restricted with safeguards and permissible,” the guidelines state.

Sources said the agencies to be selected for preparation of proposal for declaration of ESZ around wildlife sanctuaries in the state would be required to mark the proposed ESZ area proposed on digital maps by showing village boundaries, roads, river, and waterways among others.According to the decision of the National Board for Wildlife, the ESZ would be of a regulatory nature rather than prohibitive and their width could be up to 10km.

The proposal would include a description of the resource base indicating the economic potential and livelihood imp lication for the people residing in and around the proposed ESZ.

The proposal would comprise bio-diversity of the area, including bio-geographical representatives, endemism and geo-morphological characteristics. It would also comprise land-use pattern and list of different industries, including mines and stone-crushing units in the proposed ESZ.