News Excerpt:

The Goa government was instructed by the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court to declare a tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and other nearby state territories.

Background:

• The 2014 Status of Tigers (Co-predators & Prey) in India report, released by the statutory body National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) formed under the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 -

• It observed the tiger's presence in the region.

• The report said the Cotigao-Mhadei forest complex of Goa comprises five protected areas: 

• Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

• Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park 

• Bhagwan Mahavir National Park 

• Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary

• Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

• They together cover an area of 750 sq mts, forming a contiguous belt connecting the forests of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

• Additionally, it stated that Goa consistently hosts three to five tigers.

  

Issue:

• In March 2016, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recommended that the state government notify a tiger reserve in the Cotigao-Mhadei forest complex.

• As per NTCA, the forest complex has recorded tiger presence and has the potential to house a tiger population.

• In January 2020, a tigress and its three cubs were found dead in Mhadei WLS.

• An NTCA expert team was constituted to enquire into the deaths of tigers.

• They suggested that the state government may take immediate steps to enhance the legal status of Mhadei WLS to that of a tiger reserve.

• Recently in 2023, the Goa bench of the Bombay HC directed the Goa government to notify a tiger reserve in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and other contiguous areas within three months.

• The Goa government had approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the High Court’s judgment.

• Goa Foundation, a Goa-based environmental NGO, has filed a contempt petition before the Bombay HC at Goa seeking action against the Goa government for not complying with the directions of the High Court.

Reasons behind the pause in the developments:

• Over the years, local politicians have encouraged villagers to encroach on territories and cultivate cashews in the sanctuary. 

• Some environmentalists contend that the process has been abruptly halted due to “pressures and influence of a mining lobby”.

What has the Goa government contented?

• The state government claimed before the court that the Wildlife Protection Act's section 38-V (1) contained only directory and non-mandatory elements.

• It argued that detailed studies are necessary and the rights of the forest dwellers needed to be settled entirely before such steps could be taken.

• The government also asserted that protected areas already enjoy the same level of protection for all flora and fauna as in a tiger reserve and no additional protection was necessary for the tiger.

PYQs

Q. In which one of the following States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located?  (UPSC 2018)

(A) Arunachal Pradesh

(B) Manipur

(C) Meghalaya

(D) Nagaland