Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve
Prelims:
Environmental Conservation
Mains:
GS Paper II-polity, GS
Paper III-Environment and Biodiversity Conservation
Current relevance:
The Supreme
Court orally clarified that its direction prohibiting mining activities
within a 10-km radius of the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand.
Highlights:
1.
The Supreme
Court clarified that the 10-km mining restriction around the Asan
Wetland Conservation Reserve, a Ramsar Site in Uttarakhand, shall be uniformly
applicable to all wetland conservation reserves across the country.
2. The Court observed that the entire Himalayan
terrain should be governed by the same set of directions, unless an
expert committee determines that a particular reserve does not fall within the
concerned State.
3. The decision establishes a uniform framework for
protecting wetland conservation reserves by ensuring consistent safeguards
against mining activities in ecologically sensitive areas.
About Asan
Wetland Conservation Reserve:
1.
It is located
in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, at the confluence of the
Asan River and the Yamuna River canal near Dhalipur village.
2. It was notified as a Conservation Reserve in
2005 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
3. It is a freshwater wetland ecosystem and
became the first Ramsar Site of Uttarakhand in 2020.
4. The wetland lies along the Central Asian Flyway,
making it an important habitat for migratory and resident waterbirds.
5. The wetland is an important feeding, migration,
and spawning ground for the endangered Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora).
6. Conservation Objectives:
The reserve was established to:
·
Conserve the
wetland ecosystem of the Asan and Yamuna rivers.
·
Protect migratory
waterbirds and their habitats.
·
Provide a legal
framework for wetland conservation.
·
Promote community
participation in conservation and management.
Source: THE
HINDU - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-says-10-km-radius-buffer-for-mining-extends-to-all-wetland-reserves/article71304647.ece/amp/