In compliance with the July 2022 decision of the Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court has directed the Jharkhand government to notify Saranda’s lush sal forests as a wildlife sanctuary.
- The Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand government to notify 314 square kilometers of area as a wildlife sanctuary. Reviving the long-ignored NGT order to protect biodiversity.
- While hearing a petition seeking compliance with the July 2022 decision of the Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand government to notify it as a wildlife sanctuary.
- Saranda is emerging as a battleground between proponents of extensive mining in the name of development and conservationists advocating sustainable mining and preservation of its rich biodiversity.
- The conflict has existed since 1906 when iron ore mining began in Saranda, and the process of finding a resolution started simultaneously.
About Saranda forests
- West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand; adjacent to the Odisha border.
- Area: Total forest area 856 sq km.
- Meaning: In the local Ho language, Saranda means “seven hundred hills.”
- Home to some of India’s finest sal (Shorea robusta) forests.
- Elephants, four-horned antelopes, sloth bears, tigers (recently sighted), and diverse flora and fauna are found here.
- It serves as an important elephant corridor and a carbon sink.
- Report of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII): Anthropogenic pressures have fragmented the forest habitat. The 2016 report highlighted the decline in mammals, butterflies, and birds.
- Resources: About 26% of India’s iron ore reserves are found here. The Justice M.B. Shah Commission highlighted the loss of wildlife and biodiversity due to illegal mining of these ores.
NGT’s decision (2020)
- A petitioner approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking to declare Saranda as an “eco-sensitive zone.”
- NGT stated that Saranda should be considered a wildlife sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, as it had already been notified as a “game sanctuary” in 1968.
- NGT directed Jharkhand to consider the area for sanctuary notification and submit a compliance report.
- Despite repeated reminders from the Supreme Court (2021, 2022), the Jharkhand government delayed action.
- The state argued that due to mining operations (which generate significant revenue) and livelihood concerns of the tribal communities (as the area falls under the Fifth Schedule), issuing a sanctuary notification had become difficult.
Why sanctuary status was given:
- To ensure legal protection of biodiversity under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. To curb irregular iron ore mining and deforestation threatening species diversity.
- To comply with long-pending judicial and environmental directives since the early 2000s.
- Provides statutory protection while halting industrial exploitation and mining.
- Promotes ecotourism and sustainable livelihoods through conservation-based development.
- Helps India fulfill its Convention on Biological Diversity commitments and Sustainable Development Goal-15 (Life on Land).
- The area falls under the Fifth Schedule; Ho, Munda, and other tribal communities reside here.
- Sanctuary notification may restrict access to forest resources, potentially criminalizing traditional livelihood activities.
- If tribal consultation is neglected, it could violate the Forest Rights Act (2006) and PESA Act (1996).
