The Madayipara hills in Kannur is a biodiversity hotspot known for its rich flora and fauna.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Unregulated tourist inflow and an amusement-cum-eco park are choking Madayipara, Kannur’s ecologically significant laterite landscape, renowned for its rich biodiversity.Environmentalists say that the influx of visitors’ vehicles, the artificial lighting, and the vast amount of garbage generated are damaging the rare flora, apart from troubling birds and other wildlife endemic to the fragile terrain.The Madayipara Samarakshan Samiti, a forum dedicated to protect the ecosystem, has now decided to intensify its protest against the park and plans to block a painting-and-art learning programme scheduled to be held there on Saturday.Opened on July 31The Samiti alleges that the ecopark, opened on July 31, is functioning without mandatory permissions, including a trade licence from the Madayi grama panchayat. The committee has also approached the District Collector seeking immediate intervention and has demanded that the panchayat stop the activities pertaining to the park.The 3.65-sq km laterite plateau supports an exceptional concentration of biodiversity, endemism and specialised habitats. It has recorded 670 types of flowering plants, including eleven insectivorous plant species, and 14 species that fall under various categories of threatened plants under the International Union for Conservation of Nation (IUCN).Madayipara also supports 258 bird species, including 10 globally threatened species and 31 species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. It is an important stopover for migratory shorebirds. It supports 24 mammal species, 32 reptiles, 20 amphibians, and 158 butterfly species, besides 51 species of dragonflies and damselflies.300-odd vehiclesMuhamed Jafer Palot, zoologist at the Zoological Survey of India’s Western Ghat Regional Centre in Kozhikode, who has been associated with the Madayipara conservation campaign, says the plateau is a small area and cannot withstand such uncontrolled influx of visitors. “More than 300 vehicles were seen parked on the rocky terrain recently. The area where birds used to flock is now full of people and vehicles,” he says. “Rare seasonal plants are being uprooted and taken away as soon as they sprout. Such plants cannot simply be replaced,” he says.Conservation activists are considering stronger legal and administrative measures, including seeking a conservation reserve status for the plateau.C.V. Balakrishnan, protest committee chairman, says that by modifying a natural stream into a recreational pool and installing a high-mast light, the park operators have altered the natural landscape. Artificial lighting, noise, vehicle movement, and crowds could disturb birds that roost and breed in Madayipara.K.P. Chandraganthan, Samiti secretary, says High Court orders had stressed the need to protect Madayipara and restrict activities and vehicle movement that affect its ecological character. He also raises questions over the ownership and use of land associated with the park. While large tracts of Madayipara belong to the Madayi Thiruvarkattukavu Devaswom, transactions in the past had led to changes in land records. The eco park, he alleges, is functioning in disputed territory.Case pending since 2006N. Narayanan, manager of the temple devaswom, says a case relating to ownership of a 10-acre area has been pending in the court since 2006.Madayi panchayat president Sathyabhama B. says the panchayat has not granted permission to operate the park. She says the building associated with the property had obtained permission as a “special residential” building, but no licence had been issued to operate the park. Published - August 15, 2026 07:00 am IST
