Jeypore Ground Gecko Habitat Faces Proposed Bauxite Mine in Odisha's Balda Hills

The endangered Jeypore ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis) is at the centre of a habitat dispute over a proposed opencast bauxite mine in the Balda hills of Koraput district, Odisha. The Hindu published the report on 14 October 2026 and updated it on 15 October 2026. It says only four individuals were documented in the past year within the proposed mine site, which resident Adivasis have protested for two years. As of 16 October 2026 the sources describe the mine as proposed, not as operating or approved.

Key facts at a glance

Event date versus publication date

The mine is a proposal, and the sources give no date for its approval, start or completion. The dated items are the reports themselves:

• The Hindu: published 14 October 2026, 07:25 pm IST; updated 15 October 2026, 12:21 am IST.
• GKToday: dated 15 October 2026.
• The protests are described as having lasted two years. This is an ongoing situation, not a single dated event.

Why the Jeypore ground gecko matters

Rediscovery

The species was presumed extinct for 130 years. Indian scientists Ishan Agarwal and Aniruddha Datta-Roy rediscovered it in 2010. The Hindu describes it as living in crevices of boulders and under leaf litter in the Eastern Ghats hills.

Protection status

• IUCN: listed as Endangered. IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• CITES: GKToday says the species is in Appendix II, effective 18 July 2026. CITES regulates trade in listed wild animal and plant species. Only GKToday reports this date.
• India: protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Habitat pressures

GKToday lists coffee plantations, hydropower projects and mining as land-use changes affecting the known habitat. It also says the gecko's former habitat at Potangi, Odisha, was lost to bauxite mining by NALCO, and that the species is now believed extinct there. That earlier loss shows why the remaining Balda hills population is a concern.

Bauxite and the exam angle

Bauxite is the principal ore used to make alumina, which is processed into aluminium. The story links three exam themes:

• Species conservation: an Endangered species and its legal protection.
• Mining and forests: a proposed project inside forest land.
• Community rights: Adivasi groups claiming ancestral land.

The sources do not say whether this topic has appeared in any exam, so revise it as general environment and biodiversity context.

What the sources do not settle

• The Hindu article is partly paywalled, so only its opening summary was available for this post.
• No source gives the project's clearance status, any court or government decision, or the company's response.
• The 147-hectare figure and the Nageswari reserve forest location come from GKToday alone.
• The sources differ slightly on range. GKToday calls the species native to Odisha, while The Hindu mentions a small population in the Eastern Ghats hills of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
• The four-individual figure is a count of documented animals, not a population estimate.

FAQ

Has the mine been approved or started?

The sources do not say. They call it a proposed project.

Who are the communities opposing it?

Bonda and Porja Adivasi communities, who have protested for two years and call the area ancestral land.

Practice MCQs

Question 1

Who rediscovered the Jeypore ground gecko in 2010?

1. Ishan Agarwal and Aniruddha Datta-Roy
2. Divya Gandhi and Ishan Agarwal
3. Aniruddha Datta-Roy and a NALCO team
4. Bonda and Porja researchers

Answer: Ishan Agarwal and Aniruddha Datta-Roy — GKToday names these two Indian scientists as the rediscoverers in 2010.

Question 2

How is the Jeypore ground gecko classified by the IUCN?

1. Least Concern
2. Vulnerable
3. Endangered
4. Extinct

Answer: Endangered — both reports describe the species as endangered, and GKToday states the IUCN listing.

Question 3

In which district is the proposed bauxite mine in the Balda hills located, and how much forest area does GKToday say it covers?

1. Koraput, Odisha; 147 hectares
2. Koraput, Odisha; 14 hectares
3. Odisha's Potangi area; 147 hectares
4. Andhra Pradesh; 147 hectares

Answer: Koraput, Odisha; 147 hectares — GKToday places the project in Koraput district across 147 hectares of forest.

Question 4

Under which Indian law and schedule is the Jeypore ground gecko protected?

1. Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
2. Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
3. Appendix II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
4. Schedule I of the CITES Act, 2026

Answer: Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 — GKToday states this as the species' protection in India.

Question 5

How many Jeypore ground gecko individuals were documented in the past year at the proposed mine site in the Balda hills?

1. Four
2. Fourteen
3. Forty
4. One hundred thirty

Answer: Four — The Hindu reports just four individuals documented in the past year within the proposed mining site.