State objects to first-phase notification of 468.6 sq km; cites habitation and livelihood concerns
PANAJI
The Goa government is set to challenge the Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) report before the Supreme Court, objecting to its recommendation to notify a Goa Tiger Reserve covering 468.60 sq km of protected forest areas in the State during the first phase.
The proposed reserve includes Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, and parts of Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. A senior official at the State secretariat confirmed that the government will contest the findings, citing several lacunae in the CEC report.
“The government will place on record the existing difficulties faced by people residing within these protected areas. Moreover, a tiger reserve has a lower protection status compared to a national park, which is also a key concern,” the official said adding that with Central government and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) governing the tiger reserve, there are more stringent fines for violations.
As per the CEC report, there are 102 households within the areas proposed for phase one—50 in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, 41 in Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, nine in the northern part of Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, and two in Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park. The CEC has noted that these forest tracts are directly contiguous with Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve and, therefore, should be considered for the establishment of a State tiger reserve.
During the last hearing on December 15, 2025, the Supreme Court granted two weeks’ time to the Goa government and Goa Foundation to file their responses. “The State is yet to make its submission. The affidavit is in the final stage of approval,” the official added.
The CEC has proposed demarcating 296.70 sq km as the core area and 171.90 sq km as the buffer zone. It has further stated that once the Supreme Court passes its final order, Goa would be bound to notify the tiger reserve within three months.
According to the Central panel, integrating the proposed Goa Tiger Reserve with the existing Kali Tiger Reserve would allow unhindered tiger movement, ensure genetic and demographic continuity, and support natural dispersal from the source population in Karnataka and will strengthen and stabilise tiger populations in Goa and Sahyadri forest landscapes, enhancing the long-term ecological resilience of the Kali-Mhadei-Goa region.
However, areas with higher human habitation – such as Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, which has 612 households, and the southern part of Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary, with 560 households – have been recommended for inclusion only in phase two as these areas would require extensive community consultations, sustained awareness-building and confidence-generation measures.
