About Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH):
- Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH), also known as core areas of tiger reserves, are identified under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), 1972.
- These are based on scientific evidence that "such areas are required to be kept as inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers".
- The notification of CTH is done by the state government in consultation with the expert committee constituted for the purpose.
- Inviolate Status: These areas are kept inviolate (free from human activities) for the purpose of tiger conservation.
- The forests peripheral to CTH are notified as buffer areas, which act as a transition between CTH and non-tiger reserves.
Key Facts about Central Empowered Committee (CEC):
- It was set up in 2002 (reconstituted in 2008) by the Supreme Court.
- It served as a watchdog for issues pertaining to environmental conservation and compliance.
- In 2023, the Supreme Court transferred the CEC, to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
- According to the Union Environment Ministry’s notification, the central empowered committee will now be institutionalised as a permanent statutory body, moving away from its earlier ad hoc status.
- Composition of the new CEC
- It will have a chairman with experience of 25 years in the field of environment, forests and wildlife or proven administrative experience of not less than 25 years in the central or state governments.
- He will be nominated by the central government for a tenure of three years.
- The age limit for the Chairperson is set at 66 years, and the rank must not be below that of an Additional Secretary.
- The member secretary will be a full-time serving officer of the government not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of forests or director in the Government of India.
- This person is required to have special knowledge in the field of environment, forests, or wildlife, and experience of at least 12 years.
- The member secretary too, will be appointed by the Centre.
- The three expert members will be one each from the fields of the environment, forests, and wildlife with experience of at least 20 years.
- They will also be nominated by the Centre for a tenure of three years.
- One notable change in the new central empowered committee structure is the exclusion of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which were previously part of the committee.
