TestCloud
Prep • Practice • Perform
Log In

GoI Notifies Eco-Sensitive Zone Around Tral Wildlife Sanctuary in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir.

National | Dated: 05 Jun 2025

In May 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) officially notified an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Tral Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) in Pulwama district, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - The move aims to ensure the conservation of the critically endangered Hangul Deer (Kashmir Red Deer) and other native flora and fauna by regulating human activity around the sanctuary.
  • - The newly declared ESZ extends from 0 to 3.26 km around the sanctuary, covering a total area of 127.1 square kilometers, which includes 26 villages.
  • - The buffer zone will help mitigate ecological threats and support conservation efforts by imposing restrictions on activities such as construction, mining, and deforestation.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) Tral Wildlife Sanctuary plays a crucial role as a habitat corridor for the Hangul, which is India’s only surviving species of Red Deer. Once widely distributed across the Kashmir Valley and parts of Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district, the Hangul’s population has now dwindled to an estimated 150–200 individuals (as per a 2015 report).
  • (ii) The Hangul is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, granting it the highest level of legal protection in India. It is also classified as "Critically Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
  • (iii) This notification is part of India’s broader strategy to strengthen biodiversity conservation and promote sustainable development around ecologically important regions.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Which critically endangered species is the main beneficiary of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Tral Wildlife Sanctuary?

Correct Answer: Hangul (Kashmir Red Deer)

🚀 Quick Recap: