The Supreme Court of India has ordered the Jharkhand government to declare 314 square kilometres of the Saranda Forest Division a wildlife sanctuary within three months. The goal of undertaking this historic move is to preserve one of the finest sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the country with a high density of flora and fauna.
The Saranda Forest, the so-called Queen of Sal Forests, covering more than 314 sq km, is an ecological hotspot of Jharkhand. It is home to elephants, sloth bears, four-horned antelopes, and hosts a variety of bird species and also serves as a key wildlife habitat in the area. The Supreme Court pointed out that the sanctuary notification would not interfere with the rights of tribal communities and forest dwellers residing in the region, and stressed that the rights that are secured by the legal statutes within the Forest Rights Act (FRA) will not be violated.
The order of the court addresses the problems of long-term delays in the official recognition of the sanctuary status of Saranda. Although the forest had been partly declared to be the Saranda Game Sanctuary in 1968, a full-scale and legally strong declaration as a wildlife sanctuary has not been undertaken, and this has exposed the area to mining and other developmental forces. The Court also made it clear that existing mining leases, which are good, will not be disturbed, but no new mining rights are likely to be granted in the newly announced sanctuary.
The Supreme Court pointed out an inconsistency in earlier propositions by the state government on the size of the sanctuary, where efforts were made to make the size smaller by 31,468 hectares to about 24,941 hectares. These cuts were denied by the court, which emphasized the ecological importance of the entire 314 sq km site. It also directed the state to make sure that it gets massive publicity, and it will assure the local communities that their homes, facilities and livelihoods will not suffer because of the sanctuary designation.
According to the experts, this ruling is a significant move towards conserving biodiversity in Jharkhand, and it can be used as a standard in conserving other environmentally sensitive regions in India. The government, by providing legal status to the Saranda, makes sure that mining, deforestation, and habitat fragmentation are kept under control, but the government also acknowledges the rights of the indigenous people who have long been reliant on the forest.
The Supreme Court has shifted conservation interests, tribal rights, and economic interests with this order, which can be considered an important step towards the environmental jurisprudence of India. The state government will be instrumental in implementation and monitoring in order to keep the integrity of the forest, a way of ensuring that the sanctuary attains its ecological and social goals.
