States » SouthPosted at: Nov 15 2026 8:16PM


N. Badusha selected for seventh Dr Kamaruddin Memorial Environment Award

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 15 (UNI) N. Badusha, a veteran environmental activist known for his decades-long efforts to protect the ecological heritage of Wayanad, has been selected for the seventh Dr Kamaruddin Memorial Environment Award for 2026.
Instituted by the Dr Kamaruddin Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation in memory of late Dr Kamaruddin, former Reader in the Department of Botany at the University of Kerala, the award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a citation and a plaque.
The jury unanimously selected Badusha in recognition of his selfless contributions to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection through individual initiatives, without depending on government machinery or official support.
Announcing the selection, jury chairman Dr F. George Decruz and members Dr Suhrabibi, Dr Madhusoodanan Pillai and O.V. Usha said that although most of the nominations received were from the biodiversity conservation sector, the jury had decided to honour an activist whose sustained grassroots interventions had made significant contributions to protecting nature and the environment.
Badusha has been at the forefront of environmental struggles in Wayanad for several decades. He first came into prominence through protests in 1976 against sandalwood smuggling and elephant poaching, in the wake of an incident in which 22 people, including members of tribal communities, were killed.
He subsequently became involved in several major environmental movements, including the statewide agitation against clear-felling, protests against large-scale planting of acacia and eucalyptus in high-altitude areas, and the campaign against bamboo felling for Gwalior Rayons at Mavoor. His participation in these struggles also led to imprisonment.
He played a significant role in bringing to the government's attention the spread of leprosy and tuberculosis among tribal communities. He also pursued legal battles against the diversion to other institutions of 3,000 acres of land at Sugandhagiri, originally ordered to be distributed among tribal communities, and attempts to destroy the historically important Edakkal Caves through granite quarrying.
His legal interventions included action against illegal quarries in Wayanad and unlawful elephant capture. He also approached the Karnataka High Court seeking a ban on night traffic through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
Badusha was actively involved in the movement to reclaim 4,800 acres of expired leased land at Nelliyampathy, in which Dr Kamaruddin himself had participated.
One of his significant achievements was the rehabilitation of 800 farming families from 14 villages within the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Following a prolonged campaign for the relocation of farmers living in isolated settlements inside the sanctuary, the rehabilitation was carried out with financial assistance from the union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Currently, Badusha is pursuing legal proceedings in the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court against the proposed tunnel road project and continues to campaign against unregulated tourism in Wayanad. His activities have encompassed several roles, including those of a farmer, environmental activist, organiser, petitioner, writer and movement builder.
In recognition of his lifelong commitment to environmental protection, he received the Wildlife Service Award of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation in 2012 and the inaugural Prakrithi Mithra Award instituted by Koodu magazine in 2014. The latter was presented by renowned writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair.
UNI DS
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