The Rajasthan government has requested the Supreme Court for an additional nine months to declare Sariska Tiger Reserve as Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The sanctuary area will be expanded before it is declared ESZ which is likely to happen in December of this year. The area of Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary of 492 sq km is small than its declared CTH area of 881 sq km.

The state has said that notice of ESZ can only be issued after the rationalisation of the Critical Tiger Habitat based on the tiger breeding pattern. It has requested an extension until June 30, 2025, for acquiescence. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had suggested completing it by September 30, 2024.

A high-level meet will be held in Jaipur this month and it is expected that by next year, the notification for the sanctuary boundary and the ESZ will be issued by the Government of India.

In the year 1958, Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary and then later in 1978, it was designated a tiger reserve as a part of India's Project Tiger. The national park status was granted in 1982 and it holds the distinction of being the first reserve to successfully relocate tigers.

In 2007-08, the notification for the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) was issued, and this included some villages in Sariska. The area spans 88,111 hectares, but it has not yet officially been designated as part of Sariska. Owing to the small size of Sariska, tigers frequently move outside its boundaries. Therefore, there is a plan to expand it.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, as revised in 2006, outlines the definition of CTH. CTH are identified based on scientific and objective criteria, as per Section 38V (4)(i) of the act.

CTH identification process entails:

• Consulting with an expert panel
• Holding public hearings in local languages
• Posting public notices at least 30 days before the hearings
• Inviting additional experts to take part in the public hearing

CTH include two parts:
Core or critical tiger habitat: This includes national parks or sanctuaries
Buffer or peripheral area: This is also part of the tiger reserve