Ranchi, Aug. 8: The state forest department is working on a five-km wide protective green belt around Palkot Wildlife Sanctuary in Gumla, a move that will jam the brakes on all non-forestry activities detrimental to Jharkhand's lone sloth bear abode.

Ranchi division forest officer (DFO), wildlife, Kamlesh Pandey said they had redrafted a proposal for demarcating an eco-sensitive zone and sent it to the chief wildlife warden's for forwarding it to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change for a formal notification.

Forest officials claimed that Jharkhand had sent separate proposals to the Union ministry for setting up eco-zones around as many as 10 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, including Palkot, around two years ago.

"The notifications are yet to come with both state and Centre raising objections and suggestions one after another," said an official in the know.

However, following the Centre's recommendations, the Ranchi forest division has reworked the proposal for Palkot sanctuary.

The Centre's approval will make Palkot the second sanctuary in Jharkhand, after Dalma, to have an eco-sensitive zone. The green belt around Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, the home to large number of elephants, was notified way back in 2011.

Once notified, the protective zone around the Palkot sanctuary will result in a complete ban on all non-forestry activities like commercial mining, stone crushing, commercial felling of trees, setting up of any type of industries causing pollution and disposal of waste around the sanctuary.

Under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, all states with sanctuaries and national parks are bound to create eco-zones around them as cushion against pollution and other forms of degradation. And, as per the rule, only the Union ministry can notify eco-zones on the basis of recommendations sent by the states.

According to the draft, a total of 1,287.16sqkm area of the Palkot sanctuary will come under the proposed eco-sensitive zone.

"There are 90 villages, referred as enclaves, inside the core area. Around 604.64sqkm from these villages will come under the eco-zone. Similarly, there are 101 villages located in the buffer area, of which 682.52sqkm has been included," said Pandey referring to the draft.

Palkot is home to several sloth bear species, which are protected under Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to a Wildlife Trust of India 2012 report, there are around 15,000 sloth bears across the country. About 10 per cent of them are in Jharkhand, which underlines the need for an urgent national conservation plan for bears.

The Ranchi DFO added that after the eco-zone was notified, a zonal master plan would be prepared following the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

"The objective of this plan will be restoration of denuded areas, conservation of water bodies, management of catchment areas, watershed management, soil and moisture conservation, among others, to revitalise the sanctuary," said Pandey.