Neelakurinji in bloom on the Chokramudy hills, near Munnar, in Idukki.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has requested the National Green Tribunal to direct Keralam, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to submit an annual plan of operation incorporating a conservation action plan for Strobilanthes kunthiana, popularly known as Neelakurinji, an endemic shrub seen in the Western Ghats.
The Ministry submitted its request before the Principal Bench of the tribunal in New Delhi, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the report Neelakurinji becomes a threatened species, officially published in The Hindu.
Historical records from 1832 to 2018 had documented the occurrence of the endemic shrub, which blooms once in 12 years, across 34 localities within 14 ecoregions spanning five major landscapes, including the Brahmagiri, Nilgiri, Palani-Kodaikanal, Anamalai, Munnar-Idukki, and Yercaud-Shevaroys regions of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
The Principal Bench had considered a conservation plan proposed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Keralam, which stated that Neelakurinji is under threat from factors that included unregulated tourism and infrastructure expansion.
The Ministry informed the tribunal that the conservation action plan is to be primarily implemented by the State government(s) concerned through their annual plans of operation under the centrally-sponsored scheme ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for conservation and management of protected areas, wildlife and recovery of critically-endangered species. It urged the Principal Bench to direct the States to implement the action plans in coordination with the State Biodiversity Boards. The Ministry’s role is that of a facilitating and funding agency, extending technical guidance and financial assistance to the States/Union Territories for conservation and management of wildlife and its habitat, it said.
On the financial assistance extended to Keralam under the ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ project, the Ministry said that a total of ₹5.9 crore was released in the Financial Year 2025-26. In 2024-25, an assistance of ₹9.09 crore was provided to the State.
JNTBGRI report
In its report, the JNTBGRI had proposed the preparation and implementation of a species-specific conservation action plan, integrating life-cycle biology and habitat requirements among the conservation measures. Other suggestions included setting up long-term ecological monitoring plots across all major landscapes to assess population dynamics and regeneration success, restoration of degraded montage grasslands through phased removal of invasive alien species and reintroduction of native flora and regulation of tourism through carrying capacity assessment, designated pathways and strict enforcement during flowering seasons.
Published – August 26, 2026 12:12 pm IST
