Kerala's Forest and Wildlife Minister Shibu Baby John on 11 August announced that the state will formally document and integrate the traditional ecological knowledge of tribal communities into its forest conservation and eco-tourism programmes, marking a significant policy shift in how the state approaches human-wildlife conflict in areas such as Thekkady.

What the Initiative Covers

Speaking during the Forest Department's 'Oorunarvu' outreach programme at Mannan and Paliyan settlements in Thekkady, Minister John said tribal communities — who have coexisted with forests for generations — hold irreplaceable knowledge that the state has so far failed to harness. 'No one knows the forest better than tribal communities. Their knowledge will be utilised to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and for forest conservation,' he said.

The state government will submit a ₹50 crore proposal to the Centre for eco-tourism development in Kumily, including ₹20 crore earmarked for the restoration of the long-stalled Tiger Museum. Projects under the plan are to be structured so that tribal communities receive a larger share of tourism revenues.

Tribal Representation on Wildlife Board

In what the minister described as a historic first, tribal community members have been inducted into the state Wildlife Board, chaired by the Chief Minister. Raman Raja Mannan of the Mannan community and Vinod of the Cholanaickan community in Nilambur now sit on the board — giving forest-dwelling communities a direct voice in conservation policy for the first time.

Employment and Livelihood Provisions

Tribal youth are to be prioritised for employment in forest-related activities and eco-tourism projects. The Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) at Thekkady already offer a working model: around 200 people have received temporary employment and 43 have secured permanent positions as watchers through various EDCs. Community representatives told officials that human-wildlife conflict had reduced in areas where EDCs were active and that exploitation by middlemen had largely ended.

The government is also considering providing fibre boats to fishing EDCs where a shortage of bamboo has made traditional raft-making difficult.

Infrastructure and Welfare Commitments

Government officials are to visit individual tribal settlements to identify specific problems. Drinking water shortages, damaged roads, and inadequate street lighting in several settlements are among the issues flagged for resolution. Minister John was direct about the framing: 'Their demands are not charity; they are their rights.'

Who the Communities Are

The scale of the population involved underlines the policy's reach. As many as 1,266 people from 357 families live in Mannan settlements, while 450 people from 164 families reside in Paliyan settlements. The Mannan community was relocated from the interior zones of the Periyar Tiger Reserve during the 1930s and 1940s. The Paliyan community, which carries strong Tamil cultural traditions, has historically depended on honey collection, fishing, and pepper cultivation.

Much of this traditional knowledge is reportedly disappearing, and the minister acknowledged the urgency of systematic documentation before it is lost entirely. The state now hopes to convert that intimate forest literacy into both a conservation tool and a sustainable livelihood source — placing tribal communities at the centre of Kerala's forest policy rather than at its margins.