With reference to 'Eco-Sensitive Zones', which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- 2.The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Neither statement is correct. Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around national parks and sanctuaries are notified by the Union Government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Their purpose is to regulate activities around Protected Areas, not to ban everything except agriculture.
- ✗ 1. The Protected Area itself (a sanctuary or national park) is created under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The ESZ around it is notified by the Centre under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. For example, the Sammed Shikharji ESZ was notified in 2019 under that Act.
- ✗ 2. ESZs act as 'shock absorbers' or transition zones around Protected Areas. They are regulatory rather than prohibitive in nature, unless a particular notification specifies otherwise. There is no blanket ban on all human activity with agriculture as the sole exception.
Remember · ESZs are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, around national parks and sanctuaries. They regulate activities as a buffer or transition zone and do not impose a blanket ban.
Sources
- PIB (MoEFCC): Development of Infrastructure on Eco-Sensitive Zones, 22 July 2024 ↗ “ESZs are of regulatory nature rather than prohibitive nature, unless or otherwise so specified in the notification as may be required.”
- PIB (MoEFCC): Sammed Shikharji Eco Sensitive Zone ↗ “the Eco Sensitive Zone(ESZ) was notified by the Government of India in consultation with the State Government of Jharkhand in 2019 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2014, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
