Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary Expansion Ordered by Karnataka High Court

Court Directive on Sanctuary Boundary

Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary Expansion Ordered by Karnataka High Court: The Karnataka High Court directed the State government to include the remaining portions of the Kappatagudda Reserve Forest within the officially notified Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary located in Gadag district. The directive was issued after the court found discrepancies between the area approved for protection and the area declared in the government notification.

A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha noted that the sanctuary notification issued on 16 May 2019 covered only 244.15 square kilometres. However, the Karnataka State Wildlife Board (KSWB) had earlier recommended protecting a significantly larger area.

Discrepancy in the Protected Area

During a meeting held on 9 January 2019, the KSWB, chaired by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, had resolved to declare the entire Kappatagudda Reserve Forest as a wildlife sanctuary. The board initially estimated the forest area to be around 300 square kilometres.

Later examination revealed that the actual forest area measures about 288 square kilometres. The High Court observed that reducing the sanctuary size to 244.15 square kilometres without proper justification was arbitrary and inconsistent with the board’s recommendation.

Static GK fact: India currently has over 570 wildlife sanctuaries, forming a crucial part of the country’s protected area network for biodiversity conservation.

Stone Crushing Petitions Dismissed

The court delivered the ruling while dismissing petitions filed by Shivaganga Stone Crushing Industries and other operators running stone-crushing units near the fourth block of the reserve forest. These units were located on patta lands close to the sanctuary’s boundaries.

The petitioners argued that the declaration of the sanctuary and the surrounding Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) restricted their industrial operations. They requested that the sanctuary boundary be limited to 178 square kilometres, as proposed in an earlier 2017 plan.

The High Court rejected the petitions, stating that environmental protection and biodiversity conservation must take precedence over commercial interests.

Direction to Issue a Fresh Notification

After reviewing the records, the court noted that the government could not produce any official explanation for reducing the sanctuary area. As a result, the bench ordered the State government to issue a fresh notification.

The revised notification must include the remaining 55 square kilometres of the reserve forest that had been excluded earlier. This will ensure that the sanctuary boundaries align with the recommendation made by the Karnataka State Wildlife Board.

Static GK Tip: The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is the primary legislation governing wildlife conservation in India and provides legal provisions for the declaration of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves.

Importance of Eco-Sensitive Zones

The case also highlighted the role of Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) surrounding protected areas. These zones function as buffer regions where certain activities such as mining, stone crushing, and large-scale industrial operations are regulated.

The objective of ESZs is to reduce human pressure on protected ecosystems while allowing limited sustainable activities. Such regulatory zones play an important role in protecting wildlife habitats in fragile landscapes like the Deccan plateau region of Karnataka.

The High Court also clarified that the State government retains the authority to modify sanctuary boundaries in the future, but only by following the procedures established under environmental laws and wildlife protection rules.

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Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary Expansion Ordered by Karnataka High Court: