A 'please-all' Forest Act on the anvil

NEW DELHI: Wildlife concerns have been finally wed into the Forest Rights Act. With last minute negotiations between ministries spilling into the weekend, concerns over protecting areas that are critical to wildlife conservation have found place in the rules of Act being finalised for notification.

After vetting by law ministry, the new rules have been sent back to the nodal tribal affairs ministry for notification.

Earlier, the finalisation of forest Act rules had run into rough weather. The wildlife lobby wanted stringent safeguards for existing National Parks and sanctuaries.

The Act, passed in 2006, does not directly provide such a safeguard, albeit, giving a new concept of 'critical wildlife areas'. These areas were to be kept inviolate -- without human presence.

The new rules in the Act provide for resettlement of tribals from such areas critical to wildlife -- but, the environment ministry must act in consultation with tribal affairs ministry and state government-appointed local 'experts' to decide what regions are critical to wildlife conservation.

But many wildlife groups believe that resettling tribals from National Parks and sanctuaries, once they had been settled, would be an uphill task.

They demanded, and the demand found support from the highest quarters in Congress, that the National Parks and sanctuaries be kept completely out of the areas where rights are given to tribals and others.

A tussle ensued, putting the brakes on the rule notification process. But, feeling the pressure from within, its allies and the Opposition, the tribal affairs, environment and forests, and law ministries got into a huddle. And, a 'reasonable' solution has now been found, sources informed TOI.

The rules have been so 'worked' to ensure that the authorities empowered under the Act, while reviewing land rights apportioning in protected areas, consult the 'concerned ministries' for deciding the critical wildlife areas.

This would ensure that the environment ministry and tribal affairs ministry would have a say in the future of protected areas. The 'advise' of the environment ministry would obviously be led by their guidelines on the issue, and would help maintain a 'balance' between tribal rights and conservation, sources told TOI.

While this may not satisfy the radical wildlife groups, the government believes it has addressed valid issues raised by both sides of the divide.