Lemru Elephant Reserve

• Chhattisgarh Government has proposed to decrease the area of the Lemru Elephant reserve from 1,995 sq km to 450 sq km.
• The proposed Lemru Elephant Reserve is in the pipeline for 20 years, in the Korba district, Chhattisgarh.
• The proposal for the reserve was passed unanimously by the Assembly in 2005 and got central approval in 2007.

• Lemru is one of two elephant reserves planned to prevent human-animal conflict in the region, with elephants moving into Chhattisgarh from Odisha and Jharkhand.
• The reserve will be part of an elephant corridor that connects Lemru (Korba), Badalkhol (Jashpur), Tamorpingla (Surguja).
• In September 2011, the then State government issued a notification for setting up the reserve across 1,143 sq km,
• In August 2019, the current government decided to increase the area, to 1,995 sq km.
• But last month the area was again reduced to 450 sq km.

Reason to reduce the area:

• Because the proposed under the reserve is part of the Hasdeo Aranya forests, a very diverse biozone.
• The area is rich in coal deposits.
• Of 22 coal blocks in the area, seven have already been allotted with mines running in three, and in the process of being established in the other four.
• The area is reduced because of requests from villagers and public representatives.

Government’s stand:

• The state government has removed the five coal blocks put on the auction list in 2020
• It has also objected to the Centre’s recent notification on the land acquisition process of some areas under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act,

Significance of reserve:

• Elephants are found in five divisions of the state. North Chhattisgarh alone is a home to over 240 elephants.
• More than 150 elephants have died in the state over the last 20 years,
• After Chhattisgarh was formed, the lack of a formal policy allowed elephants to use as a corridor a route in the north and central parts of the state.
• Elephants in Chhattisgarh are relatively new, human-animal conflict started once elephants started straying into inhabited areas, looking for food.

Other proposed elephant reserves:

• Badalkhol Tamorpingla elephant reserve measuring 1048.30 sq km, was notified in September 2011.
• Tamorpingla wildlife sanctuary exists in the state but no work on the elephant reserve has begun.
• Chhattisgarh has two national parks, three tiger reserves, eight sanctuaries, and one biosphere reserve.