Why in News
The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to denotify the boundaries of the Pulicat bird sanctuary, which includes 13 revenue villages.
This will exclude the villages and thereby reduce the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone.
A port expansion plan and an industrial park within the present default eco-sensitive zone threaten its future.
Pulicat Lake
The Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lagoon in India after Chilika, sprawling across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
The large varieties of birds like grey pelicans, painted storks, visit the site annually
Two rivers which feed the lagoon are the Arani river at the southern tip and the Kalangi River from the northwest.
The Buckingham Canal, a navigation channel, is part of the lagoon on its western side.
Pulicat Lake
The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Why is ESZ important?
Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) are places reserved to preserve certain species’ natural habitats and safeguard biodiversity.
It seeks to lessen ecological imbalances and the conflict between humans and the natural world
Ecologically Sensitive Zones are notified by the Central Government through the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change under the Environment Protection Act 1986.
The establishment of ecologically sensitive zones aims to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance in various parts of the nation where the rapid expansion of various development projects, such as the establishment of industry, mining, the construction of dams, and the building of roads, pose a threat to the natural environment and animal habitat.
Due to rising pollution, these development efforts have resulted in the depletion of forest lands and hampered their natural expansion.
The regions designated for the survival and development of native plants and animals must be shielded from human interference by erecting a barrier around them.
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