Save Kodagu Campaign Unveils Charter to Protect Ecology and Indigenous Communities

Those present at the press conference included Col. C.P. Muthanna, Secretary and Founder of the Environment & Health Foundation; Praveen Govindamane and Somanna Kumbagoudana of the Kodagu Gowda Samaja, Bengaluru; Nikki Ponappa, Founder of the Coorg Wellness Foundation; and Boppanda Mahesh Thammaiah of the Kodava Samaja, Bengaluru.

Bengaluru: A citizens’ collective under the banner of the Save Kodagu & Kaveri Campaign on Tuesday released the “Kodagu Charter” at the Bengaluru Press Club, outlining a series of demands aimed at protecting Kodagu’s ecology, indigenous communities, and cultural identity.

The charter, coordinated by Col. C.P. Muthanna (Retd.), describes Kodagu as a critical catchment area of the River Cauvery that supports millions of people and hundreds of industries across South India. It argues that unchecked urbanisation, large-scale infrastructure projects, environmental degradation, and demographic changes pose serious threats to the district.

Among its key demands, the charter calls for the strict enforcement of land laws to prevent commercial land conversions and urban sprawl. It also seeks restrictions on land purchases by non-indigenous communities, proposing that land transactions be limited to Jamma landholders and recognised indigenous communities of Kodagu. The campaign further recommends extending similar protections to other districts in Karnataka’s Malnad region.

The document urges the Karnataka government to cancel the proposed 94-acre Karnataka Housing Board project in K. Nidugane Gram Panchayat near Madikeri, describing it as a potential disaster for the district. It also seeks a review of the government’s decision to declare Ponnampet as a Town Panchayat, claiming that further urbanisation could marginalise indigenous communities.

On the economic front, the charter advocates Payment for Ecological Services to compensate Kodagu residents for preserving the region’s fragile ecosystem. It also calls for mechanisms to ensure better prices for coffee and pepper growers.

Addressing environmental concerns, the charter demands a comprehensive roadmap to mitigate the growing human-wildlife conflict in Kodagu. It also opposes what it terms “destructive projects,” including proposals for multilane highways and the Mysuru–Kushalnagar railway line, arguing that public funds should instead be directed towards sustainable development and wildlife conflict mitigation.

The charter further seeks a ban on polluting industries, uninterrupted 24x7 power supply, and measures to regulate tourism. Claiming that Kodagu receives more than 40 lakh visitors annually despite having a population of around six lakh, it calls for restrictions on mass tourism and regulation of visitor numbers.

Additional demands include improved healthcare access for tribal communities, greater employment opportunities for Scheduled Tribes in the Forest Department, and the identification and deportation of illegal migrants.

The campaign concluded by urging that many of the proposed measures be adopted across the wider Malnad region of Karnataka.

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