Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) assigned a conservationist as a member of a Technical Committee. This panel was established in October 2020, to deal with grievances presented by landowners about the sealing of their buildings that infringed the Nilgiri Elephant Corridor in Tamil Nadu by state authorities.
The October 2020 Case and SC’s Decision
In October 2020, SC upheld the authority of the Tamil Nadu government to declare an ‘elephant corridor’ to protect the migratory path of elephants through the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. It confirmed that it was the State’s duty to protect a “keystone species” such as elephants, vital for the environment. Additionally, SC gave the green light for establishing a committee headed by a retired HC judge and two other individuals to listen to the concerns of resort owners and private landowners within the corridor region.
The SC judgment was formed on appeals made by resorts/private landowners against a Madras High Court decision from July 2011.
Madras HC Judgement
In 2011, the Madras HC endorsed the legitimacy of the Tamil Nadu government’s declaration (from 2010) of an ‘Elephant Corridor’ in the Sigur Plateau of Nilgiris District. The court announced that the government is fully empowered under the Union government’s ‘Project Elephant’ and as per Article 51 A(g) of the Constitution to notify the elephant corridor in the state’s Nilgiris district.
Article 51 A(g) states that the responsibility of every citizen of India is to protect and enhance the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and show compassion for living creatures. Further, the court supported the directions given to the resort owners and other private landowners to leave lands within the notified Nilgiri elephant corridor.
Nilgiris Elephant Corridor
The Nilgiris Elephant Corridor is situated in the ecologically sensitive Sigur plateau, connecting the Western and Eastern Ghats and maintaining elephant populations and their genetic diversity. This corridor, located near Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgiris district, has the Nilgiri hills on its southwestern side and the Moyar river valley on its northeastern side. Elephants traverse the plateau in search of food and water.
Challenges for Elephant Corridors
A study published by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) titled ‘Right of Passage’ recorded details related to 101 elephant corridors across India. These corridors face challenges due to narrowing passage width, human encroachment, interception by railways and highways, canals running through them, and land use changes over time.
Other Initiatives for Elephant Conservation
Several other initiatives like Gaj Yatra, Project Elephant, and Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) have been put into action for the conservation of elephants.
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Also known as ’Nilgiris’ or the ‘blue mountains,’ the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India, established in 1986. It is situated in the Western Ghats and covers parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. This biosphere reserve, home to animals like the Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, blackbuck, tiger, gaur, Indian elephant, and marten, is an ecologically significant region that exemplifies the tropical forest biome and is a biodiversity hotspot.
Tribal groups native to the reserve include the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan, among others. The reserve also houses protected areas such as the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley.