Malaika Mathew Chawla, Ecologist, says, "He focuses on a few ‘exotic’ species for tourism, also risks the neglect of the several endangered and threatened native species that the Aravallis currently support.

"The Safari enclosures and the fencing will obstruct the free movement of existing wildlife in the Aravallis and cause fragmentation of the area and thus negatively impact their survival and well-being,"

The Aravalli range is a critical ecological feature, serving as a natural barrier against desertification and acting as a vital groundwater recharge zone for the water-deficient National Capital Region.

Neelam Ahluwalia, Founder of People for Aravallis, a civil society group advocating for conservation of the Aravalli range, said, "The extensive construction planned in the zoo safari in 10,000 acres of the Haryana Aravallis —including hotels, clubs, roads, entertainment parks, landscaped gardens, etc. —will involve clearing vegetation, destroying micro-habitats, and disrupting the region's aquifers.

"This will put immense pressure on an already severely depleted groundwater table in both Gurugram and Nuh districts. The influx of tourists will also lead to increased waste generation, pollution, and noise, further disturbing the fragile ecosystem. This is particularly alarming in a region already struggling with illegal construction, rampant illegal mining and mixed waste dumping and burning.”

As an alternative to the Aravalli Zoo Safari Park, NACEJ suggested developing a genuine and just ecotourism model centred on the region’s native wildlife and local culture. Such an initiative would augment local livelihoods and generate tourism revenue without jeopardising the ecological integrity of the Aravallis.