Kochi: The state govt’s move to open Mattupetty grasslands in Munnar, a vital habitat for wild elephants, for tourism purposes, has raised questions about its commitment to mitigating human-wildlife conflict.Environmentalists have come out against the move, raising concerns and have written to the chief minister, forest department minister and officials, revenue and tourism authorities, appealing for an immediate independent ecological assessment and the suspension of further construction and expansion of tourism activities in the habitat. ANEC Trust, an NGO, has written in this regard to the concerned authorities, including Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB), under which Mattupetty grasslands fall.The grasslands between Munnar–Top Station Road and Mattupetty Reservoir provide natural forage, water and open space for wild elephants, said the NGO in the letter. Elephant herds, including females with young calves, reportedly frequent the area. The availability of food and water within the landscape may reduce the need for elephants to enter nearby plantations, agricultural lands, roads and human settlements, thereby helping prevent human–elephant conflict, the letter said. These grasslands must be recognised as a functioning wildlife habitat, not as vacant land available for tourism-oriented development, they said.The NGO has raised serious concerns over reports of a watchtower being developed within the grasslands, along with a roadside ticket counter and barricaded access arrangements for tourists. The ecological implications extend beyond the structures. They include construction, tourist influx, vehicular movement, noise, human disturbance and possible obstruction of elephant movement or access to food and water. Such disturbance could displace elephants from their natural feeding grounds and increase encounters with people, crop damage, property loss, injuries and retaliatory harm to wildlife.