Keeriparai to host Kanniyakumari’s first biodiversity conservation centre and museum

Kanniyakumari district's Biodiversity Museum & Conservation Centre at Keeriparai offers immersive experience of western ghats biodiversity & culture.

The Kanniyakumari district is set to establish its first Biodiversity Museum and Conservation Centre at Keeriparai in the district. The project has gained momentum, with the tender already floated for its implementation.

The Biodiversity Museum and Conservation Centre initially announced by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, near the Manimuthar dam in Tirunelveli district during 2022 at a cost of ₹7 crore, faced delays due to difficulties in finding suitable land. To ensure its successful execution, the site was eventually shifted to Keeriparai, a region abundant in biodiversity.

The project, which is being developed at a cost of ₹7 crore at a total area of 29,935 sq metre, aims to be a conservation hub, providing visitors with an immersive experience of western ghats’s biodiversity, indigenous tribal culture and natural rubber plantations.

The centre is envisioned as a faceted destination featuring interpretation centre, wildlife museum and a rubber plantation museum along with other basic and entertainment amenities.

Due to its strategic location, the centre is expected to attract a large number of tourists and locals. Its proximity to Thirparappu waterfall and Kalikeasam makes it a perfect stop for nature enthusiasts. Located amidst the lush rubber and teak plantations, it would offer tourists a unique and immersive experience of the western ghats’s biodiversity.

A standout feature of the project is its nature inspired architectural design. The biodiversity centre has been inspired from the Mycena Chlorophos, a rare bioluminescent mushroom discovered at the Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary in the year 2023.

As the mushrooms grow staggered at different levels, the building is envisaged to be designed at multiple levels adapting the natural terrain without altering it. The spatial planning of the conservation centre has been designed to showcase the biodiversity of the region including flora and fauna and cultural landscape.