The Supreme Court issued directions to restrict activities such as tiger safaris , mining, and infrastructure  inside and around tiger reserves to address increasing Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWCs).

Key Directions Issued by the Court

• Tiger tourism
  • Prohibition in Core Areas: The Court prohibited tiger safaris in core or critical tiger habitats, emphasising that these zones must remain inviolate.
  • Permissible Safari Locations: Safaris shall be established strictly on non-forest land or degraded forest land, and only if the area does not form part of a tiger corridor.
  • Rescue-Linked Safari Model: Safaris must operate only in association with a full-fledged rescue and rehabilitation centre, housing conflict, injured or abandoned tigers from the same landscape.
• Human–Wildlife Conflict (HWC):
  • HWC as Natural Disaster: The Court urged States to consider classifying human-wildlife conflict as a “natural disaster” to enable swifter relief and enhanced accountability.
  • Ex-Gratia Norm: States must pay ₹10 lakh ex gratia for every human death caused by HWC, as mandated under the IDWH scheme.
  • Uniform Policy and Guidelines: NTCA must issue model guidelines on HWC within six months, and States must implement them within the same period.
    • Uttar Pradesh has already notified HWC as a natural disaster

• Regulated/prohibited activities
  • Strict Prohibitions: The Court banned commercial mining, sawmills, polluting industries, major hydroelectric projects, tree felling without permission, and tourism-linked low-flying aircraft, including drones and hot-air balloons.
  • Aircraft Height Rule: Aircraft must maintain a minimum height of 300 metres above the highest obstacle located within 8 km of their estimated position.
  • Regulated Activities: The Court permitted regulated establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water resources, fencing, road widening, and night vehicular movement, subject to strict norms.
• Regulation of Tourism and Infrastructure
  • Ecotourism vs Mass Tourism: Tourism infrastructure in buffer zones must follow ESZ norms. The Court emphasised that “ecotourism cannot resemble mass tourism”.
  • Eco-Friendly Resorts Only in Buffer Areas: New eco-friendly resorts may be allowed only in buffer zones and not in wildlife corridors.
  • Promotion of Community Tourism: Homestays and community-run establishments should be encouraged through incentives.
• Ban on Night Tourism and Mobile Phone Use
  • Strict Regulation of Night Movement: Where roads pass through core/critical habitats, no vehicular traffic from dusk to dawn, except ambulances and emergency vehicles.
  • Complete ban on night tourism in tiger reserves; Mobile phones prohibited in tourism zones within core habitats.
• Direction to State
  • Core and Buffer Area Notification: All States must notify core and buffer areas of tiger reserves within six months.
  • Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Mandate: States must notify eco-sensitive zones around all tiger reserves, including buffer and fringe areas, within one year.
  • ESZ Limits: ESZ formulation must follow the MoEF&CC’s 23 April 2018 guidelines, specifying that minimum ESZ areas must cover buffer or fringe zones of Tiger Reserves.
  • Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP): States must prepare a TCP within three months, with NTCA monitoring compliance and ensuring Steering Committees meet at least twice a year.
  • ESZ Notification Deadline: States must notify ESZs around tiger reserves within one year.

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Significance of the Judgment

• Ecological Restoration: The Judgement aims to reverse long-term ecological damage and protect tiger habitats from commercial exploitation.
• Strengthening Conservation Governance: Reaffirms the primacy of core habitats, corridors, ESZs, and buffer zones in tiger conservation.
• Balancing Tourism and Ecology: Encourages regulated, community-oriented ecotourism while eliminating high-impact tourism and extractive activities.
• Wildlife–Human Coexistence: Recognising HWC as a disaster ensures structured relief, faster support, and better long-term mitigation.

Add About Tiger Reserve

• Definition: A Tiger Reserve is a designated protected area aimed at conserving tigers and preserving their natural ecosystems. 
• These reserves are created under Project Tiger, the flagship conservation initiative of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) launched by the Government of India in 1973.
• Structure of a Tiger Reserve: Each reserve is divided into two main zones –
  • Core Area (Critical Tiger Habitat): A fully protected zone with minimal human interference, dedicated to safeguarding tigers and maintaining overall ecological integrity.
  • Buffer Area: The outer region surrounding the core, where regulated activities such as eco-tourism, research, and sustainable use of natural resources are permitted.
• Legal Framework: Tiger Reserves are notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Implementing Agencies: The reserves are managed jointly by state forest departments, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Current Status: India now has over 58 Tiger Reserves

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