Proposed Bauxite Mine Threatens Endangered Jeypore Ground Gecko Habitat

The endangered Jeypore ground gecko faces extinction risks in Odisha’s Balda hills due to a proposed 147-hectare opencast bauxite mining project.

Only four individuals of the rare, nocturnal species have been documented in the area over the past year, highlighting the fragility of its population.

Resident Adivasi communities have protested against the Adani-subsidiary project for two years, citing the loss of ancestral land and biodiversity in the reserve forest.