Leased forest land at Athirappilly in Keralam to be surveyed amid disputes over blocking elephant corridor

The Forest department and Plantation Corporation, Kerala (PCK) will jointly survey the forest land leased to PCK for Plantation Valley Farm Resort at Athirappilly. The survey matters because officials dispute the holding’s boundaries and use. They say it extends beyond the leased area and enters core wildlife habitat.

The lease covered two hectares, but the department says the occupation continued after the agreement expired. Officials also raised concerns about fencing, pineapple farming, and private agencies operating on the land. Fencing allegedly obstructed elephants moving through the area. The Divisional Forest Officer, Chalakudy, also reported human-wildlife conflict, including tiger sightings near the resort.

The survey will help identify the true leased extent and the parts needed for wildlife movement and habitat connectivity. Officials will demarcate the elephant corridor and clear activities inconsistent with maintaining it. Pineapple farming will not be allowed inside the corridor.

An elephant corridor is a connected passage between habitat areas that allows elephants to move through a landscape. This definition uses established ecological knowledge; the article specifically discusses identifying and maintaining such a corridor at Athirappilly. Corridors matter because animals need safe routes between feeding, resting, and other habitat areas.

A fence, building, or farming activity can narrow or close that route. The article reports that fencing by PCK allegedly obstructed elephant passage through the leased land. If elephants cannot use the usual path, they may encounter the resort, farms, or nearby people instead. The department linked the area with human-wildlife conflict.

The meeting decided to identify and demarcate the corridor in the leased area. Activities inconsistent with corridor maintenance will be cleared, and pineapple farming will not be undertaken there. These steps aim to keep elephant movement open and reduce conflict around the resort.

The holding used by Plantation Valley Farm Resort covers two hectares. That is the area identified in the article as the leased forest land at Athirappilly. Its size is important because the dispute concerns whether PCK’s occupation remains within that approved boundary.

The lease agreement expired a decade before the reported meeting and survey decision. Despite that expiry, PCK continued occupying the forest lease land. The corporation proposed renewing the agreement and obtaining access to more land. The Forest department strongly opposed that proposal.

Officials argued that the holding extended beyond the leased area and into core wildlife habitat. They also raised concerns about fencing, blocked elephant movement, and activities involving private agencies. The joint survey is intended to establish the leased extent, identify corridor needs, and guide restoration and maintenance. It may therefore shape whether, and under what conditions, land use continues.

Plantation Corporation, Kerala (PCK), is the corporation holding the forest lease for Plantation Valley Farm Resort at Athirappilly. The article identifies it through its resort project, its proposal to renew the lease, and its continued occupation of the leased land. It does not provide a fuller institutional description.

PCK has used the holding for the resort project and reported engaging private agencies for pineapple farming. George Joseph, its managing director, said the agencies were brought in during replanting of the crown. He said this helped meet operational and planting costs. The department viewed such arrangements as possible violations of lease conditions.

PCK said the resort project was more or less confined to the leased area. The department nevertheless argued that the holding extended into core wildlife habitat and raised concerns about fencing and elephant movement. A joint survey will clarify the area and guide decisions about future activities, including pineapple farming in the corridor.

The alleged violations concerned how the leased forest land was being operated. The Forest department objected to private agencies being engaged for pineapple farming and other activities on the holding. It also relied on a recent Kerala High Court order concerning prohibited arrangements with private parties.

The order stated that no sub-leasing, sub-contracting, or other operational arrangement with private parties should violate lease conditions or forest-clearance conditions. The department cited this principle at a meeting convened by the State Forest secretary. Officials therefore questioned whether PCK’s use of private agencies complied with the lease.

George Joseph offered PCK’s explanation. He said private agencies handled pineapple farming during replanting of the crown, helping meet operational and planting costs. The department also objected to reported fencing and the alleged expansion beyond the leased area. The survey and corridor demarcation will help determine which activities can remain and which must be removed.

When an elephant corridor is obstructed, elephants may lose a route through the habitat they use. This can bring wildlife closer to resorts, farms, fences, and people. The article connects the leased area with human-wildlife conflict and reports concern from the Divisional Forest Officer, Chalakudy.

The reported obstruction involved fencing carried out by PCK on the leased land. Environmentalists and the department said the fencing allegedly blocked elephant passage. The project area also had instances of human-wildlife conflict, and officials mentioned sightings of tigers near the resort. These reports show why the movement route is a central issue in the dispute.

The meeting decided to identify and demarcate the elephant corridor, maintain it, and clear activities inconsistent with that purpose. Pineapple farming will not be allowed inside the corridor. Keeping the passage open is intended to reduce conflict while protecting wildlife movement through the area.

Habitat connectivity means keeping habitat areas linked rather than separated by barriers or incompatible uses. It matters because wildlife needs connected space for movement and habitat access. The department plans a detailed study to identify leased forest areas required for wildlife movement and habitat connectivity at Athirappilly.

The proposed mechanism is practical. Officials will identify and demarcate the elephant corridor, maintain it, and remove activities inconsistent with that purpose. Pineapple farming will not be undertaken inside the corridor. These controls respond to reported fencing, which allegedly obstructed elephant passage and contributed to concerns about human-wildlife conflict.

Restoration and maintenance could help keep elephants moving through a defined route instead of toward the resort or other occupied areas. At the same time, land use outside the corridor may be considered through the survey and lease review. The article does not specify which activities will ultimately be allowed, only that they must comply with corridor maintenance and lease conditions.