Daily current affairs · 19 August 2026
Supreme Court Ruling Elephant Corridors State Blockades Ban
Why in news
- The Supreme Court ruled that no State government can construct physical blockades along inter-state traditional elephant pathways.
Information
- A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India held that wildlife corridors are inherently multi-state pathways driven by natural animal instinct.
- The court observed that erecting physical barriers or fences increases human-wildlife conflict rather than mitigating it.
- The apex court directed the Union Government to conduct a comprehensive nationwide survey of traditional elephant corridors.
- The decision reinforces the ecological doctrine of landscape-level wildlife protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Key terms
Elephant Corridor
A narrow strip of habitat that connects larger habitats of elephants, facilitating their seasonal movement.
Landscape-level Conservation
An environmental management approach that considers entire ecosystems and species movement across administrative boundaries.
Prelims facts
- Asian elephants are listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List and under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Project Elephant was launched in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to protect wild elephants and their corridors.
Mains discussion
- Examine the challenges of balancing linear infrastructure development with the preservation of contiguous ecological corridors in India.
Source: The Hindu