Don't tamper with Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve's buffer

Assam's proposal - a 1-3 km site-specific eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, instead of the default 10 km extent - is not just about numbers. A smaller ESZ could cut off the park from its wider landscape, turning it into an island fortress with disastrous consequences for its wildlife, particularly during the June-September monsoon months, when its fluvial plains are inundated by floodwaters from the Brahmaputra.

Ironically, it was the 2017 floods, which killed over 100 animals trapped in Kaziranga, that highlighted the need for a landscape conservation approach with dedicated animal corridors to facilitate movement. Assam's proposal risks turning NH-715 into a hard, functional wall between the park and landscape. While an ESZ is not a no-activity area, it is regulated. Taking the highway out of the regulated zone could lead to a spike in traffic flows.

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This would make it more dangerous for animals as they move to the higher ground of the Karbi-Anglong hills during the flood season. Repercussions for tourism revenues will follow. Gate-entry fees accrue ₹88 mn a year. More broadly, the economic value and ecological benefits of an intact Kaziranga landscape have been estimated at ₹9.8 bn in annual ecosystem service flows, nearly ₹1 bn in stock assets, including carbon storage, apart from the costs of impaired hydrological functions.

The expert committee reviewing the proposal must undertake an impact assessment and wide public consultation before offering its advice to the environment ministry. A landscape approach to conservation, rooted in science and economics, has been government policy since 2017. The ministry must not let a narrower boundary produce a narrower vision of conservation.