How will the Supreme Court order impact mining around Ramsar wetland sites? | Explained

The Supreme Court has clarified that its February 2024 directive, which mandated prior approval for mining within a 10-km radius of the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve, will now apply to all wetland conservation reserves across India. This decision extends a judicial safeguard previously limited to the Asan Ramsar site in Uttarakhand. The clarification arose from an application by the Himachal Pradesh government, which had argued against the automatic application of the order, highlighting that wetland conservation reserves, unlike national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, do not have statutory buffer zones.