Maharashtra gives 14 new conservation reserves and two sanctuaries the green light in one meeting

Wild buffalo in Gadchiroli, forests above Pune, ridges in Raigad — landscapes across seven districts of Maharashtra moved a step closer to formal protection this week. The State Board for Wildlife, meeting on October 26 under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, approved upgrading the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli — known for its wild buffalo — to a full wildlife sanctuary, alongside a proposal tied to the expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. It also approved 14 new conservation reserves, from Velhe-Mulshi and Lonavala near Pune to Jawhar and Asherigad in Palghar. Conservation-reserve status protects habitats and biodiversity while letting management fit local conditions and communities — protection designed to work with the people who live in these landscapes, not around them.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: policy reform