Guwahati, Sept. 4 -- The Balipara Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on community-led ecological conservation and habitat restoration in the Eastern Himalayas, on Thursday called for an independent, science-based study to determine the width of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve before any decision is taken to reduce the buffer to 1 km.

Kaziranga does not yet have a final, site-specific ESZ notified. In its absence, the Supreme Court's June 2022 order applies a default buffer of 10 km around protected areas nationally, and the Gauhati High Court reaffirmed as recently as March 2026 that this default continues to govern Kaziranga.

According to the foundation, reducing the buffer ...