Why Is Kaziranga’s Eco-Sensitive Zone At Centre of 10-km vs 1-km Debate?

Assam is moving to notify a site-specific Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park, with the proposed zone extending up to 1 km from the park boundary, triggering concerns over what it means for one of India’s most important wildlife habitats.

The move has been described by critics as a reduction of the existing 10-km protection around Kaziranga. But the 10-km figure is not quite a permanent, notified ESZ boundary. Assam says the existing 10-km buffer is an interim arrangement that applies until a site-specific ESZ is formally notified, and that the proposed 1-km zone follows the Supreme Court’s framework on ESZs.

What Exactly Is An Eco-Sensitive Zone — And Why Does 10 Km Matter?

In order to manage and conserve biodiversity across the Protected Areas, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notifies Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around the Protected Areas. As part of wildlife conservation strategy, in the year 2002, it was decided that an area around each Protected Areas, requires to be notified as Eco-Sensitive Zone for creating a buffer as further protection around Protected Areas (PAs). The very purpose of declaring ESZ is to create some kind of “Shock Absorber” for the specialized Ecosystem, such as protected areas or other natural sites, to act as transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 12 defended the state government’s move to notify a one-kilometre Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, saying a uniform 10-km buffer would affect several towns and thousands of residents living around the protected area.

The Chief Minister rejected criticism that the Assam government was seeking to reduce an existing Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga. He argued that retaining a 10-km zone around Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major habitat of the one-horned rhinoceros, would affect people living in Bokakhat, Kaliabor and other surrounding areas.

Why Is Assam Proposing A 1-Km Site-Specific Zone?

The Supreme Court had said that Eco-sensitive Zones around Protected Areas i.e. National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries are declared based on proposals submitted by state govts & in conformity with ‘Guidelines for declaration of Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) issued by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

“If we have to maintain that 10 km limit around KNPTR then towns like Kaliabar, Doboka, Jakhalabandha, Bokakhat would not remain,” Sarma said. He added: “The SC guidelines specifies that the ESZ should be 1 km, but it can extend to 3 km depending on circumstances. There’s no wildlife sanctuary in the world which has an ESZ of 10 km surrounding it.”

What Does The Supreme Court Say, And What Can Actually Happen Inside An ESZ?

The 10-kilometre limit currently applies by default because Kaziranga does not yet have a final ESZ notification. The proposed change would establish a scientifically defined 1-kilometre zone instead, according to the state government. For local authorities, this could mean greater regulatory clarity and fewer constraints on construction and infrastructure projects.

The legal framework around ESZs also adds another layer to the debate. In 2022, the Supreme Court directed that national parks and wildlife sanctuaries should have an ESZ of at least 1 kilometre from their demarcated boundaries. Where an existing or proposed ESZ extended beyond 1 kilometre, the larger limit was to prevail.

The 10-kilometre limit can therefore operate as a default where a protected area does not yet have a final notification.

What Happens To Wildlife Corridors Beyond The Park?

Kaziranga is not an isolated island of conservation. Its wider surroundings provide space for wildlife movement, support grasslands and wetlands, and form part of the ecological systems that sustain the park itself. As Assam prepares its proposal, the challenge will be to ensure that development around Kaziranga does not come at the cost of the landscape that allows the national park to function in the first place.

Wildlife does not necessarily remain within the legal boundary of Kaziranga. Kaziranga's surrounding landscape includes animal corridors and areas connected to the Karbi Anglong hills. The Gauhati High Court has dealt with issues involving mining and construction affecting the identified animal corridors around Kaziranga.

A recent Gauhati High Court order shows how the Supreme Court’s ESZ framework has been applied around the national park, particularly in relation to mining and wildlife corridors.

In its March 12, 2026 order in Jiten Engjai vs Union of India, the Gauhati High Court noted that the Supreme Court had directed that a 10-km ESZ would apply where no state proposal for an ESZ had been submitted. The court specifically observed that, as of the date of its order, Assam had not submitted either a final notification or a draft proposal for Kaziranga’s ESZ to the Centre. It therefore held that the 10-km ESZ remained operative around Kaziranga.