A Simple Guide on Core Zone

The core zone exists inside a biosphere reserve and hence it is important to understand the meaning of biosphere reserve before core zone’s. Biosphere reserve, which is abbreviated as BR, is an area that is designated for wildlife conservation. They are recognised by UNESCO as sites for sustainable development. They include not only terrestrial ecosystems, but coastal and marine ecosystems as well. In India, the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat is the largest biosphere reserve. A few other examples are Panna Biosphere Reserve, Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, and Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Now, in these biosphere reserves, we have three zones namely the core zone, buffer zone, and transition zone. In this article, we would focus on the core zone meaning. 

What is the Core Zone?

The core zone, as discussed above, is a strictly protected area where human activities of any kind are not allowed. It is protected by law, hence it is illegal for humans to interfere in a core zone. It exists to conserve natural ecosystems, wildlife, landscapes, and species and genetic variation. 

The animal diversity and the animal population are high in a core zone. There is a greater possibility of human-wildlife conflict, which may lead to the loss of lives. To prevent such unfortunate incidents, it is mandated that people should not enter a core zone. There are no villages or human establishments there. It is up to the forest department to ensure that people abide by the rules and regulations. Entering into a core zone is fully prohibited and anybody found doing so can be punished severely.

Functions of Core Zone

The most important function of a core zone is to protect the biodiversity of the area. Natural resources, flora, and fauna are allowed to thrive on their own. Here, the natural processes are not altered. These zones include highly wild animals that predate on smaller animals. The natural food chain is maintained there. A wide variety of fauna is also found there.

Core zones are said to be genetic reservoirs since they house animals of various species, each having unique genes. This is why they are important from the scientific and research point of view as well. 

They are taken as the reference for how a natural ecosystem would look like if expanded to a much larger area of land. Timely information is retrieved from here with caution so as to not disturb any natural activity. That information helps in understanding the natural state of the ecosystem and assessing things related to the maintenance of the biosphere.

A core zone protects the highly endangered and rare species of fauna. Since human activities cannot take place here to any extent, the possibility of conserving them is much higher. 

How Is Core Zone Different From Buffer and Transition Zone?

When we talk about biosphere reserves, there are three zones associated with them – core zone or natural zone, buffer zone, and transition zone. There is a significant difference between them, which must be understood well and one should not be confused with the other.

To understand the difference properly, the biosphere reserve can be visualised as a circular area divided into concentric circles. The innermost circle or the innermost area represents the core zone. No person is allowed here unless authorised by the officials. Wildlife and natural resources are strictly and legally protected here. 

The area immediately surrounding the core zone is referred to as the buffer zone. The entry of humans is restricted here as well, but not as strictly as in the core zone. This area is open for education and research purposes and assessing this area gives a deep insight into the natural state of the ecosystem. 

Thanks to the buffer zone, the protection cover of the core zone is further enhanced. Tribals and human establishments which were already there in the biosphere reserve may be allowed to exist in a buffer zone. 

The outermost and least protected zone is the transition zone, which is also referred to as the manipulation zone or the area of cooperation. Human activities, which are sustainable, are rampant here. In this area, the importance of cooperation between humans and nature is highlighted. 

The two exist in harmony. Tribals, local population, scientists, environmental agencies, businesses, etc. agree to work in sync and in a sustainable manner so that the natural balance is not disturbed. Sustainability is the highlight here which means that whichever activity takes place here, must be done in a manner that does not exploit the natural resources of that area. Animals should not feel threatened by human activities in the transition zone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as mentioned above, a core zone is the most protected zone of a biosphere reserve, whose function is to protect the wildlife. These days, rampant human activities like building concrete jungles, construction work and hunting pose a constant threat to the population and diversity of animals. Thus, to protect them, biosphere reserves are set up where such activities that may endanger the animal species are totally banned. Such reserves, however, are further divided into different zones where the extent of protection varies. The core zone can be thought of as the innermost zone where no human can enter and animals and plants are allowed to exist in their most natural state.