Neelakurinji Conservation

Why in News?

MoEFCC has petitioned the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to prepare and submit a structured Annual Plan of Operation (APO) dedicated to conserving the endemic Neelakurinji plant.

• Mandatory State Operational Plans - Urges state forest departments to outline annual budgetary allocations, habitat monitoring, and anti-poaching measures.
• Habitat Restoration- Aims to mitigate risks from invasive plant species (e.g., Acacia, Eucalyptus), illegal land conversions, forest fires, and unregulated eco-tourism.
• Regional Synchronization - Ensures coordinated conservation across contiguous forest stretches spanning the Nilgiri Biosphere and surrounding mountain ranges.

Neelakurinji

• Scientific Name - Strobilanthes kunthiana.
• Family - Acanthaceae.
• Habitat- Endemic to high-altitude Shola forest-grassland mosaics of the Western Ghats (typically between 1,300 m to 2,400 m elevation) across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
• Minor patches occur in the Eastern Ghats (Shevaroy and Sandur Hills).
• Flowering Mechanism- A plietennial shrub exhibiting masting (mass synchronous flowering).
• It blooms once every 12 years, sets seeds, and subsequently dies.
• Cultural Significance - Gave the Nilgiri Hills ("Blue Mountains") their name.
• Historically, the indigenous Paliyan tribe used its 12-year flowering cycle to calculate individual ages.

Legal Framework

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• Statutory Body- Formed under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 for rapid disposal of environmental and forest protection disputes.
• Time-Bound Resolution- Mandated to dispose of applications within 6 months of filing.
• Adjudication Standard - Governed by principles of Natural Justice rather than procedural rigidity under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.

Reference

The Hindu | Plan of operation for Neelakurinji conservation