Assam notified a buffer zone for Kaziranga National Park far smaller than what wildlife law requires, treating the Supreme Court's interim minimum as a permanent ceiling. The article argues this inverts the logic of buffer zones under the Wildlife Protection Act, where judicial floors are meant to trigger state action, not replace it. The gap between the court-ordered minimum and a scientifically adequate buffer raises questions about whether PIL compliance can substitute for genuine conservation governance.

Buffer zones around protected areas are mandated under Section 18A of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (inserted by the 2006 amendment), requiring states to notify an 'eco-sensitive' or buffer area around national parks and sanctuaries. The purpose is to create a transition zone that absorbs human-wildlife conflict pressure before it reaches the core protected area.

The legal controversy here turns on a well-known phenomenon in PIL enforcement: when a court sets a minimum threshold to prevent a worse outcome — say, compelling a state to notify at least some buffer — the state treats that floor as satisfying its full obligation. This is sometimes called 'compliance capture,' where the letter of a court order displaces the spirit of the underlying statute.

For CLAT PG, the key principle is the distinction between judicial interim relief and statutory compliance. An SC direction to notify a minimum area does not discharge the state's independent obligation under Section 18A to notify a scientifically determined buffer. The court's floor is a remedial device, not a legislative exemption.

For UPSC CSE, the static layer involves understanding what buffer zones are, how they differ from core zones and eco-sensitive zones under the Environment Protection Act, the role of the National Board for Wildlife, and Kaziranga's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger reserve. Kaziranga is also notable for its one-horned rhinoceros population and its location across Assam's Golaghat, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, and Biswanath districts.