Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notifies Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary

Key facts

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a draft notification declaring 408.7 sq km around the Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• The sanctuary is located across five districts in Uttar Pradesh: Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur, Bijnor, and Amroha.
• The ESZ area comprises 138.71 sq km in Muzaffarnagar, 155.02 sq km in Bijnor, 46.35 sq km in Amroha, 18.35 sq km in Hapur, and 50.04 sq km in Meerut.
• A total of 307 villages fall within the proposed ESZ of the State Animal Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The sanctuary area was rationalised from an initial 2,073 sq km to 1,159.16 sq km.
• The sanctuary hosts 41 species of mammals, 373 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, 79 species of fishes, and 81 medicinal plant species.