The delicate ecological balance of Bengaluru's vital green lung, the Bannerghatta National Park, is under severe and escalating pressure. A recent reduction in its protective buffer zone has already left the forest more vulnerable, and now, proposed infrastructure projects—including flyovers through the area and a new airport in close proximity—are raising alarm bells among environmentalists and citizens alike.
The Shrinking Shield: A Reduced Buffer Zone
The first major blow to the park's protection came with the decision to shrink its Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). This buffer area is crucial for acting as a shock absorber, limiting human activity and industrial development immediately adjacent to the forest's core. The rollback of this protective perimeter, officially confirmed and reported on December 5, 2025, has significantly weakened the legal framework designed to shield the park's rich biodiversity from urban encroachment.
This decision sets a dangerous precedent, making the forest boundary more permeable to pollution, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation. The reduced buffer directly compromises the long-term health of the ecosystem, which is home to elephants, leopards, and numerous other species, some of which are endangered.
Double Jeopardy: Flyovers and Airport Plans
Even as the forest reels from the buffer zone reduction, new development threats are emerging on the horizon. Authorities are considering plans to construct flyovers through parts of the Bannerghatta landscape to ease traffic congestion. Simultaneously, proposals for a new airport situated close to the national park are gaining traction.
Environmental experts point out that these projects, if approved, would be a classic case of double jeopardy. Building large-scale linear infrastructure like flyovers fragments animal corridors, blocking traditional migration paths and leading to increased human-animal conflict. The noise, light, and air pollution from both flyovers and an airport would cause profound stress to wildlife, disrupting breeding patterns and altering natural behaviors.
Questioning the Wisdom: Ecology vs. Development
The central question now facing Bengaluru is one of priority and wisdom. Is it prudent to push infrastructure projects that could inflict irreversible damage on a protected national park, especially after already diluting its safeguards? The city, notorious for its crumbling infrastructure and water crises, has often seen environmental costs overlooked in the name of development.
Conservationists argue that the short-term gains from such projects will be vastly outweighed by the long-term ecological losses, which include degraded watersheds, loss of biodiversity, and worsened micro-climates. The cumulative impact of a smaller ESZ, new roads, and an airport could sound a death knell for Bannerghatta as a functional ecosystem.
The report from December 5, 2025, serves as a critical wake-up call. It highlights a urgent need for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment that considers all these projects together, rather than in isolation. The future of Bengaluru's premier forest now hinges on whether policymakers choose to heed these warnings or proceed on a path that endangers a natural heritage for generations to come.
