The primary purpose of any intervention in the eco-sensitive Aravalli region must be “conservation and restoration” rather than the destruction that a zoo safari would bring, 37 retired forest officials have told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter opposing a proposed 10,000-acre nature park in Haryana.

The letter, sent on February 6, called for urgent and comprehensive conservation strategies to protect the Aravalli mountain range, which stretches from Delhi through Haryana and Rajasthan to Gujarat.

In April 2022, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana announced the Aravalli Safari Park in the state’s Gurugram and Nuh districts.

The project would feature ten zones, including enclosures for reptiles, birds, exotic animals and big cats such as tigers, lions, panthers and cheetahs, the then chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in October 2022.

Environmentalists have questioned both the legality and ecological impact of the park, warning that it would take over land belonging to locals and introduce non-native species into the region.

The retired forest officials, including former principal chief conservators of forests and Indian Forest Service officers, said in their letter that the Aravallis have already suffered extensive destruction due to mining, real estate development and deforestation.

“A zoo or a safari is often considered not essential for wildlife conservation because while they can play a role in breeding endangered species, the practice of keeping animals in captivity in limited spaces can negatively impact their natural behaviours,” the letter said. “The most effective conservation efforts focus on protecting natural habitats and addressing threats in the wild, rather than relying on captive breeding programs in zoos”.

The letter noted that the proposed safari site falls under the legal definition of “forest” under the Forest Conservation Act and cited Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal rulings that prohibit tree cutting, construction, and real estate activity in such areas.

This would make the extensive construction proposed for the safari park “illegal”, the retired forest officials said. The 1980 Forest Conservation Act provides legislative support for conserving forest land and its resources.

“The aim of the Aravalli zoo safari project is to increase tourist footfall in the state of Haryana and to increase government and private investment in the tourism sector,” the letter said. “Conservation of the Aravallis is not the goal.”

The proposed project would also increase vehicular traffic and lead to a construction boom in the ecologically sensitive area, the former forest officials said. It would also disturb the groundwater aquifers under the Aravalli hills that are critical reserves for the water-starved districts of Gurugram and Nuh, the letter added.

“Aravallis are India’s ecological and cultural heritage,” the letter said. “Comprising some of the oldest geological features on the planet, the Aravallis hold the distinction of being one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth with its origins dating back to almost 1800 million years.”

Earlier, the Haryana government had said that the safari park would be established using funds that the authority would receive from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation – to compensate for the deforestation of 130 square kilometres of tropical forests on Great Nicobar island.

Great Nicobar, in the Indian Ocean, is located about 1,200 km from the Indian mainland and more than 2,400 km away from the site of the Aravalli Safari Park. The island is proposed to be deforested to make way for a Rs 75,000 crore development project that includes an International Container Transhipment Terminal, an airport, a power plant and a new township.

The project was granted environmental clearance by the Centre on November 4, 2022. It will subsume 166 square kilometres of the island’s total area of 921 square kilometres.

Experts and researchers have also raised serious concerns about the impact of the project on the environment and the indigenous communities of the island.

Also read: Can a safari park outside Delhi make up for a lost Nicobar forest?