Supreme Court of India directed the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares of the Saranda forest area as a wildlife sanctuary

Supreme Court of India directed the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares of the Saranda Forest area as a wildlife sanctuary. The Court reaffirmed that mining is prohibited within national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and within a one-kilometer buffer zone around their boundaries.The Court upheld a 1968 notification from the then unified Bihar state, which declared the Saranda Forest as the "Saranda Game Sanctuary," which later came under Jharkhand's jurisdiction after the state's division (2000).

Saranda Forest

¨     Introduction: This is Asia's largest sal forest, located near Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The name "Saranda" means "land of seven hundred hills," covering approximately 900 square kilometers.

¨     Historically, it served as the private hunting ground of the royal family of Saraikela.

¨     The Saranda Forest Division contains 26% of India's iron ore reserves, making it both ecologically and economically important.

¨     Vegetation: Dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta), it is one of the oldest and most sustainable Sal forests in the state. Other prominent species include Mahua and Kusum.

¨     It supports diverse deciduous vegetation that maintains the water cycle and contributes to carbon absorption.

¨     Fauna: It is home to critically endangered and endemic species, including the Sal forest turtle, four-horned antelope, and Asian palm civet.

¨     Located on the southern border of the state, this forest is home to endangered species of flying lizards and hundreds of elephants.

¨     Tribes: It is home to the Ho, Munda, Oraon, and other related tribal communities. Their livelihoods, cultural traditions, and subsistence practices are deeply dependent on forest resources.