MINISTRY of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has stated that the zoos established on forest land shall be considered as forestry activity. It has recently issued guidelines in this regard to Principal Chief Conservators of Forest of all States. Originally, as per the 2007 guidelines and provisions in the handbook of Forest Conservation Act, activities related to development of zoos undertaken as per the Master Plan approved by Central Zoo Authority (CZA) were to be considered as forestry activities. However, subsequently, it was thought that construction of zoo over forest land having diversified components including a few public utility facilities, should be treated as ‘non-forestry activity’. Later on, the CZA made a representation to the MoEF&CC that no zoo was planned, approved or constructed without prior approval of CZA under strict adherence to its guidelines. However, considering zoo as non-forestry activity had added ‘multiple/overlapping layers of permissions to be procured under different agencies’. Further, it had added, consideration of zoo as a non-forestry activity had led to ‘severe hardships for zoos to submit funding proposals’ under State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to the State Government authorities. Forest Advisory Committee considered these developments in its meeting held in February 2019, and observed that such multiple regulations ‘hampered the spirit of conservation’ enshrined in Forest Conservation Act, which permitted work relating or ancillary to conservation, development and management of forests and wildlife. Now, based on the committee’s recommendation and superseding the 2007 guidelines, the MoEF&CC has conveyed to Forest Department bosses in all the States and Union Territories that establishment of zoo over forest area by Forest Department/State Zoo Authority after due approval of CZA ‘should not be considered as a non-forestry acivity’ for the purpose of implementation of Forest Conservation Act. Interestingly, the directive asks the Forest Department authorities to ‘avoid’ construction of zoos in protected area. Only in exceptional cases, it adds, ‘the fringes of the buffer zone of the protected area’ may be considered for the construction of a zoo on forest land, subject to condition that it should not cause any hindrance in the movement of wild animals of the area. A source in the know of things pointed out an interesting provision in the detailed guidelines. “State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 may be used to establish and operate a zoo on forest land by the State Government in accordance to the Rules and guidelines issued by the National Authority, CAMPA,” the provision reads. Besides, there is another provision: “Only degraded forest land, i.e., with a crown density below 40 per cent, may be used for the establishment of zoo.” According to the source, these give birth to speculation if plans are afoot to establish and operate zoo on forest land. If it is so, he added, it poses a risk of fragmentation of forest land in the name of construction of zoo facility and roads leading to it. Cropping up of resorts in the vicinity may lead to breaking the corridor for wildlife movement.“Of course, only time will tell if zoos actually come up on forest land in near future,” he added