Context
A proposed open-cast bauxite mining project covering 147 hectares in Odisha’s Balda Hills, within the Nageswari Reserve Forest, threatens the habitat of the endangered Jeypore ground gecko. Local Adivasi communities have opposed the project, citing ecological damage and threats to their ancestral lands.
Explanation
- Jeypore ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis) is a rare, nocturnal reptile endemic to the Eastern Ghats of India.
- It inhabits rocky crevices, boulder formations and forest leaf litter, primarily in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
- First documented in 1878, it was presumed extinct for approximately 130 years before being rediscovered in 2010 in Odisha’s Koraput district.
- Conservation status: Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
- Habitat: It occurs in high-elevation forests, approximately 900–1,400 metres above sea level.
- Major threats: Open-cast bauxite mining, deforestation and habitat fragmentation threaten its restricted habitat.
- Ecological significance: The species represents an evolutionarily distinct lineage, having diverged from its closest relatives over 20 million years ago.
- Community concerns: Bondo and Porja Adivasi communities oppose mining activities in their ancestral forest lands.
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