 Do you know why ecologically sensitive zones are called shock observers? To get clarified, do watch this video. See Ecosensitive zone is defined as per the National Wildlife Action Plan 2002-2016 issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It says that the land within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is to be notified as eco-fragile zones or eco-sensitive zones. Do you know that this 10 km rule is implemented as a general principle? So the extent of its application can varies with location. It means that areas beyond 10 km can also be notified as eco-sensitive zones by the Union Government. This is done when a particular area holds larger ecologically important sensitive corridors. Now let's see why they are created. See according to the guidelines issued by the Environment Ministry in 2011, eco-sensitive zones are created as shock observers for the productive areas. It is created to minimize the negative impact of certain human activities on the fragile ecosystems. Furthermore, these areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher production to those requiring lesser production. Now you may ask, will these guidelines hinder the activities of people living near the productive areas? See the guidelines clarified this also. It says that the ecological sensitive zones are not meant to hamper the daily activities of people living in the vicinity of productive areas. But they are meant to guard the productive areas and refine the environment around them. And going a step further, the guidelines listed the activities prohibited, regulated and permitted in an eco-sensitive zone. And the Chief Wildlife Warden can group the activities under these three categories. I have given here a list of activities that are prohibited, regulated and permitted in an eco-sensitive zone. Please go through it. Now we will see the recent Supreme Court judgment about eco-sensitive zones. On June 3, 2022, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court adhered a PAL which sought to product forest lands in the Neelgris in the Tamil Nadu. In the judgment, the court said that 2011 guidelines issued by Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is reasonable and the Supreme Court directed all states to have a mandatory one-kilometer eco-sensitive zones from the demarcated boundaries of ivory-producted forest land, national park and wildlife sanctuary. It also stated that no new permanent structure or mining will be permitted within the ecological sensitive zones. Apart from this, the Supreme Court added that if the existing ecological sensitive zone goes beyond one-kilometer buffer zone or if any statutory instrument prescribes a higher limit of ecological sensitive zones, then such extended boundaries shall prevail. So this is regarding the Supreme Court judgment in conducting the ecological sensitive zones. I hope you have got clarity over ecologically sensitive zones and why they are called as shock absorbers. See, environmental related topics are more important in UPSC film's perspective. To know more about the environmental related kind of affairs, watch the Hindu News analysis of Shankar A.S. Academy regularly. Thank you.