Under the section 3 of Environment Protection Act, 1986 of India, Coastal Regulation Zone notification was issued in February 1991 for the first time, for regulation of activities in the coastal area by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
[1][2] As per the notification, the coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks, lagoons, estuaries, backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
[4] The Coastal regulation zone notification 2019 was issued to replace the 2011 notification and develop the coastal region of the country in sustainable manner on scientific principles, keeping in view current global problem of climate change and sea level rise.
One of the important feature of 2019 notification is the streamlining of the coastal regulation zone clearing procedure.
The ecologically vulnerable areas identified on the basis of Environment Protection Act, 1986 are to be managed in partnership with coastal communities and fisherfolks.