Projects located inside a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary, within its notified Eco-Sensitive Zone, or within 10 km of its boundary where no ESZ has been notified, need the recommendation of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife. We prepare the proposal with the Chief Wildlife Warden, design the wildlife conservation and mitigation plan, and take it through the State Board for Wildlife to the NBWL on PARIVESH.
Legal basis: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2022), Sections 29, 33 and 35(6); Supreme Court orders in Goa Foundation v. Union of India (2006); MoEFCC guidelines on Eco-Sensitive Zones (2011) and the EIA Notification, 2006 general conditions
Who needs it
- Linear projects — roads, railways, canals, pipelines and power lines — passing through or adjacent to a National Park, Sanctuary, Tiger Reserve or Conservation Reserve
- Mining, quarrying and industrial projects within 10 km of a protected area boundary where the ESZ is not yet notified
- Tourism, resort and real-estate projects within a notified Eco-Sensitive Zone
- Hydro, solar, wind and transmission projects near protected areas or in identified wildlife corridors
- Projects whose EC or forest clearance has been made conditional on NBWL recommendation
- Telecom and small infrastructure proposals inside protected areas requiring Section 29 / 35(6) permission
Common in:Manufacturing & Industrial UnitsReal Estate & Infrastructure
Documents required
- 1Proposal on PARIVESH in the prescribed NBWL format with project description and justification
- 2Map showing the project boundary with distance from the protected area and ESZ boundary, with KML / shapefile
- 3Site inspection report of the Chief Wildlife Warden / Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife)
- 4Wildlife Conservation Plan / mitigation plan prepared with inputs from a wildlife expert or institution such as WII
- 5Species inventory and details of corridors, breeding sites and migratory routes within the study area
- 6Recommendation of the State Board for Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden
- 7Copy of EC / ToR and forest clearance status (where applicable)
- 8Alternatives analysis showing why the project cannot avoid the ESZ / 10 km zone
- 9Undertaking to fund the conservation plan and comply with mitigation measures
Missing something? We help you obtain or regularise supporting documents before filing.
How we get it done
- 1
Applicability and distance mapping
Week 1–2We verify the protected area boundary, ESZ notification status and the project's distance using GIS, and confirm whether NBWL recommendation is required.
- 2
Conservation and mitigation plan
Week 2–8A wildlife conservation plan with species-specific mitigation (underpasses, fencing, lighting, noise control, habitat enhancement) is prepared with recognised wildlife experts and costed.
- 3
Chief Wildlife Warden and State Board
Week 8–20The proposal is filed on PARIVESH; the CWLW conducts site inspection and the State Board for Wildlife considers the project in its meeting. We follow up to place the proposal on the agenda.
- 4
NBWL Standing Committee
Week 20–36The proposal is appraised by the NBWL Standing Committee, which may seek a site visit or additional studies. On recommendation, conditions are integrated into the EC / forest clearance and your compliance register.
If you don’t comply
Undertaking activities in a protected area or ESZ without the required permission is an offence under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (with imprisonment up to 3 to 7 years depending on the offence) and renders the EC invalid for want of general-condition compliance. The Supreme Court and NGT have halted projects and imposed restoration costs on proponents who proceeded without NBWL recommendation.
Why MYDA Group
Specialists, not generalists
Environmental compliance is our only practice, so your file is handled by people who do this every day.
Fixed fee, written scope
You know the professional fee and the statutory fees before we start. No surprise add-ons.
Inspection and audit-ready
We prepare your site and team for the board visit or certification audit and attend it with you.
Lifetime reminders
Every condition, return and renewal goes into your compliance calendar with alerts.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 10 km rule still apply after the Supreme Court's 2022 and 2023 ESZ orders?
Where an Eco-Sensitive Zone has been notified for a protected area, the ESZ boundary and its notified activity regime govern, and projects within it need NBWL consideration as per the notification. Where no ESZ is notified, the default position following the Goa Foundation order and the 2011 guidelines is that projects within 10 km of the boundary require NBWL Standing Committee recommendation. The Supreme Court's 2023 order modified its earlier blanket 1 km ESZ direction, but did not dilute the requirement to obtain NBWL recommendation where applicable.
What is a Wildlife Conservation Plan?
It is a site-specific plan identifying the species, habitats and corridors likely to be affected and prescribing avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures with a funded budget and implementation schedule. The CWLW and NBWL generally expect it to be prepared with institutions such as the Wildlife Institute of India or recognised wildlife biologists, and the cost is borne by the project proponent.
Is there a fixed percentage of project cost payable for wildlife conservation?
There is no uniform statutory percentage, but several State Boards and the NBWL commonly condition recommendation on a contribution towards the conservation plan, in some states expressed as a percentage of project cost (for example 2 percent) or as the costed plan amount. We advise on the practice in your state and negotiate a realistic, defensible plan budget.
Can the EC be granted before NBWL recommendation?
The EC for projects near protected areas is normally granted with a condition that no work can start until the NBWL recommendation is obtained, or the EAC may defer appraisal until the recommendation is in place. Running both processes in parallel is usually the fastest route, and we manage them together.