Overview
- The Central Empowered Committee advised notifying Cotigao and Netravali as the core and designating Bhagwan Mahavir National Park with the northern part of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary as the buffer, totaling about 468.6 sq km.
- The panel framed the first phase around areas with minimal households to reduce disruption while securing ecological connectivity with the adjoining Kali Tiger Reserve.
- Areas with higher habitation, including Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and the southern Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, were deferred for possible inclusion later after consultations and confidence-building.
- The committee asked Goa to launch structured outreach to clarify that a tiger reserve does not mandate relocation from buffer zones or automatic acquisition of private land.
- The report urges immediate preparation of a Tiger Conservation Plan with the NTCA and has been circulated to parties ahead of a Supreme Court hearing expected in December.