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Karnataka's Elephant Buffer Zone Shrinks Amidst Development Push
6 Feb
Summary
- Eco-Sensitive Zone around Bannerghatta National Park drastically reduced.
- Reduction aims to facilitate a large-scale housing development project.
- Supreme Court committee recommended restoring the original ESZ.
The Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) surrounding Karnataka's Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) has been significantly reduced, a move that raises concerns for elephant conservation. Initially proposed in 2016, the ESZ’s area and buffer distance were successively decreased, with the final notification in March 2020 drastically cutting the zone.
This reduction appears aimed at facilitating the Karnataka Housing Board's Surya Nagar Layout, a large housing development project. This development encroaches upon areas previously designated as buffer zones, leading to environmental alteration and potential human-wildlife conflict.
A legal challenge has brought the issue before the Supreme Court, which mandated a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to investigate. The CEC’s January 2026 report recommended restoring the ESZ to its 2016 draft notification status and completing the re-notification within six months.
Farmers have also protested the acquisition of agricultural land for the housing project, highlighting concerns about environmental damage and the loss of arable land within an elephant corridor.
