Context: Recently Maharashtra’s state forest department proposed to declare 11 areas in Kolhapur, Nagpur, Amravati, Satara and Sindhudurg districts as conservation reserves.

• If all the 11 proposed conservation reserves are approved by the State Board of Wildlife, Maharashtra will have 19 conservation reserves.

Conservation Reserves in Maharashtra
Proposed districts

• Munia and Mogarkasa are in Nagpur
• Mahendri in Amravati
• Chandgad, Gaganbawda, Bhudargad, Vishalgad and Panhalgad in Kolhapur
• Jor-Jambhali and Mayani in Satara
• Amboli-Dodamarg in Sindhudurg

About Conservation Reserves

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

• Conservation reserves are protected areas that act as buffer zones or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests.
• These protected areas were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002.
• This was done because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas as a result of private ownership of land and change in land use.
• As opposed to a forest reserve, national parks and sanctuaries, conservation reserves do not have eco-sensitive zones around it.
• However, any developmental or agricultural activity within the reserve needs approval from the state and central wildlife board.

Key fact

• There are now 92 conservation reserves in India across 12 states.
• Jammu and Kashmir has the maximum reserves (34), followed by Karnataka (15) and Rajasthan (11).
• The Maharashtra government previously declared 10 villages in Dodamarg taluka at Sindhudurg, as the Tillari Conservation Reserve.
• It was the first notified conservation reserve along the Konkan coast.