Conservationists warn Munnar viewpoint project could disrupt elephant habitat

Tourism infrastructure threatens to push elephants out of Mattupetty grasslands in Keralam’s Munnar

The Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) has maintained that the land at Mattupetty belongs to the board and is not revenue land, while saying it plans to start a viewpoint in a pasture meadow for tourists.

The board said the project would be undertaken with due consideration to responsible tourism and without disturbing the topography. It said only a ticketing booth and a wooden entrance arch would be placed at the site, and that no other buildings or constructions were coming up there.

The clarification comes amid concerns that tourism infrastructure in the grasslands could affect an area used by wild elephant herds for food, water and movement. The grasslands lie between the Munnar-Top Station road and the Mattupetty reservoir and are under the control of the KLDB.

Conservationists seek halt to construction

Reports of a watchtower, a roadside ticket counter and wooden fencing arrangements for tourists in the area have triggered concern among conservationists. They fear that the proposed infrastructure could affect a fragile habitat frequented by elephant herds.

ANEC Trust, a Kochi-based NGO, has urged the State government to intervene immediately. The trust has sought a joint inspection by the departments concerned, an independent ecological assessment and a halt to further construction and expansion of tourism activities until the project’s impact is established.

“The concern extends beyond the physical structures,” the trust said. “Construction, increased tourist footfall, vehicular movement, noise and human presence could disturb elephants and restrict their access to feeding grounds and water sources,” it said.

The concern is not limited to the structures themselves because the trust has linked the project’s possible impact to the wider pattern of tourist activity in the grasslands. Increased human presence, vehicle movement and noise could together restrict the elephants’ access to the places they use for feeding and to water sources.

Grassland is described as an elephant passage

A senior Forest department official said the grassland and the reservoir provide critical food and water security for elephant herds in the Devikulam forest range. The official also described the grassland as an elephant passage connecting Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu.

“It serves as an elephant passage connecting Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. Up to 10 wild elephants camp in this area at any given time, with prominent tuskers like ‘Hos-kompan’ and a six-member herd frequently sighted here. The grassland is the sole access route for these animals to reach the Mattuppetty reservoir. Blocking this passage will push elephants toward Munnar’s tourism hubs and tea plantations, escalating human-wildlife conflict,” the official said.

The official’s account places the grasslands between the elephants’ feeding and water needs and the areas where tourism and plantations are concentrated. The stated concern is that any obstruction to the passage could push the animals towards Munnar’s tourism hubs and tea plantations, increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict.

The official said up to 10 wild elephants camp in the area at any given time. The animals frequently sighted there include prominent tuskers such as ‘Hos-kompan’ and a six-member herd.

Trust questions clearances and barricades

The trust has questioned what it called an apparent contradiction between efforts to remove unauthorised structures from elephant tracks elsewhere in Idukki and the reported construction of tourism facilities in a landscape used by elephants.

“The authorities should verify the statutory clearances and assess whether the proposed infrastructure and barricades could obstruct elephant movement or access to essential resources,” the trust said.

The call for verification covers both the legal permissions for the project and its possible effect on elephant movement and access to essential resources. The trust has argued that the question is not only whether facilities can be built, but whether they would interfere with an area used by elephants.

T.S. Santhosh, lawyer-cum-legal representative of ANEC Trust, said protecting elephant habitat was fundamental to ensuring the safety of both wildlife and people. “If we want to prevent human-elephant conflict, we must protect the places where elephants can feed, drink and move safely before they are forced into human-dominated areas,” he said.

Independent study sought

The trust has appealed to the Chief Minister, Forest Minister, Chief Secretary, Head of Forest Force, Chief Wildlife Warden, Idukki District Collector, forest officials, the KLDB and the Revenue and Tourism departments to conduct an immediate joint inspection and commission an independent study.

It said the assessment should examine elephant usage, seasonal movement, forage availability, water sources, habitat connectivity and the cumulative ecological impact of tourism. These areas of inquiry would establish how elephants use the grasslands across seasons and how the proposed tourism activity could affect their access and movement.

The trust has also sought a transparent public statement on the project and a coordinated, habitat-sensitive management plan. It has called for any further construction and expansion of tourism activities to remain suspended until the assessment is completed.

The trust maintained that visitor facilities and revenue generation should not override ecological integrity, wildlife security and public safety. If the proposed facilities are found incompatible with the ecological needs of the grasslands, it said alternative locations and less intrusive options should be explored.

KLDB cites revenue and self-sustainability

The KLDB said the whole land is the board’s own property and not revenue land. It also said the subject committee of the Legislative Assembly had asked the board to increase revenue from various sources to achieve self-sustainability.

Against that background, the board said it was starting a viewpoint in a pasture meadow at Mattupetty for tourists. It maintained that the project would not disturb the topography and would involve only a ticketing booth and a wooden entrance arch.

The conservation concerns and the board’s explanation therefore centre on the same proposed site: the board describes it as a limited visitor facility, while the trust and a Forest department official have called for the area’s ecological use by elephants to be assessed before construction or tourism activity expands.

Source: The Hindu