Boundary Rationalisation” of Sariska Tiger Reserve is a Direct Threat to Forest Protection and the Aravali Ecology

Save Aravali Trust expresses deep concern over the recent decision of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to approve the so-called “rationalisation” of boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, including its Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) and buffer zones. While this proposal is being projected as a scientific and technical exercise, its real implications pose a serious threat to wildlife conservation, forest protection, and the fragile Aravali ecosystem.

According to official documents, the total notified area of the Critical Tiger Habitat is proposed to increase from 881.11 square kilometres to 924.49 square kilometres, while the buffer area is proposed to shrink from 245.72 square kilometres to 203.2 square kilometres. On paper, this appears to be an expansion of protection.

However, a closer examination reveals that this “increase” masks a dangerous dilution of actual, on-ground protection.

In practical terms, approximately 48.5 square kilometres of ecologically critical land in the southern and south-western parts of the existing CTH are being removed from strict protection. These are precisely the areas where closed marble, dolomite, limestone and masonry mines are located.

By shifting these areas out of the CTH and into buffer zones or excluding them altogether, the proposal opens the door for the reactivation of more than 50 mines that were earlier shut down following Supreme Court orders.

This is why conservationists, environmental groups and local communities are calling this move a reduction of forest protection, not an expansion. While the numerical size of the CTH may increase on paper, the quality and integrity of protected habitat are being compromised.

Ecologically crucial areas, particularly wildlife corridors in the Tehla range that are essential for tiger movement and genetic connectivity, are being removed from the highest level of legal protection. At the same time, buffer zones, which serve as a critical shield between human activities and core wildlife habitats, are being reduced in size.

The dilution of buffer zones is especially alarming. Buffer areas are not empty or expendable land; they play a vital role in absorbing human pressure, preventing conflict, and maintaining ecological stability around protected forests.

Shrinking these zones increases the risk of habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict, and long-term ecological degradation.

Save Aravali also draws attention to the legal and judicial context of this issue. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasised that any changes to protected area boundaries must strictly follow the law, be based on sound ecological reasoning, and involve transparent public consultation.

The Court has previously banned mining within one kilometre of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, recognising the irreversible damage such activities cause to forests, wildlife, and water systems.

Environmental groups have already approached the Supreme Court, seeking its intervention against this rationalisation plan, citing violations of both the spirit and letter of conservation laws.

Critics of the proposal, including environmentalists, local residents, and civil society organisations, have raised several serious concerns.

They warn that reactivating mining in and around Sariska will further damage the Aravalli range, already one of the most degraded mountain systems in the world. They argue that the newly added areas to the CTH do not compensate for the loss of strategically important habitats and corridors that are being removed.

They also point to the lack of adequate public consultation and transparency in decision-making, especially with communities that directly depend on and coexist with these forests.

Most importantly, they caution that this move sets a dangerous precedent: if mining-affected areas can be conveniently removed from CTHs in Sariska, the same logic could be applied to other tiger reserves and protected forests across India.

In simple terms, while the government claims it is making boundaries more “scientifically logical,” the outcome is a reduction in real ecological protection.

While official figures show an increase in CTH area, the reality on the ground is that mining-pressured zones are being legitimised. While buffer zones are being “aligned,” vital wildlife corridors are being weakened or lost.

Save Aravali firmly believes that forests are not adjustable lines on a map and wildlife habitats are not negotiable assets.

Sariska has already paid a heavy price for administrative failure and neglect in the past, when its tigers were wiped out due to poaching and weak protection.

Allowing economic and industrial interests to dictate conservation boundaries risks repeating that dark chapter.

We demand that this boundary rationalisation plan be immediately reviewed, halted, and subjected to an independent, transparent, and science-based assessment with full public participation. Protection of Sariska and the Aravali landscape must prioritise ecological integrity, wildlife survival, and the rights of future generations over short-term economic gains.

Sariska is not for sale. CTH dilution is unacceptable. Strong, genuine protection is the only way forward.