Shibu Baby John — Kerala Forest and Wildlife Minister 2026 (Profile, Constituency, Contact)

Shibu Baby John is the Forest, Wildlife, Skill Development and Cashew Industry Minister of Kerala in 2026. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India (RSP) and represents the Chavara constituency in Kollam district in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He was appointed as Forest Minister in the UDF government led by Chief Minister VD Satheesan following the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. The Forest Department under his ministry oversees 5 national parks, 17 wildlife sanctuaries and approximately 29 percent of Kerala’s land area under forest cover.

Shibu Baby John represents the Chavara constituency in Kollam district of Kerala. Chavara is located in southern Kerala along the coast of the Arabian Sea and is known for its chemical industries including the rare earth and titanium processing units of Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML). He is affiliated with the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India (RSP) which is part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition in Kerala.

The Kerala Forest Department manages all aspects of forests and wildlife in Kerala including the administration of 5 national parks and 17 wildlife sanctuaries, managing human-wildlife conflict (particularly elephant and leopard conflicts with farming communities), overseeing the Green Kerala Mission for tree planting and green cover expansion, managing eco-tourism in forest areas of Wayanad, Munnar and Thekkady, protecting tribal communities living in forest areas, and supervising timber, bamboo and non-timber forest produce. The department is headquartered at Aranya Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram and can be reached at 0471-2518006.

Kerala has 5 national parks and 17 wildlife sanctuaries. The most significant are: Periyar Tiger Reserve in Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts (925 sq km — largest in Kerala, famous for elephant boat rides), Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad (home to the endangered lion-tailed macaque), Eravikulam National Park near Munnar (habitat of the Nilgiri tahr — endemic to Kerala), Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (344 sq km — elephants, tigers, leopards), Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad (391 sq km), and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki (home to the rare grizzled giant squirrel). Kerala is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

VD Satheesan is the Chief Minister of Kerala in 2026. He leads the United Democratic Front (UDF) government following the UDF’s victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. VD Satheesan is a senior Indian National Congress (INC) leader from Thrissur district. His government consists of ministers from INC, IUML (Indian Union Muslim League), RSP (Revolutionary Socialist Party) and other UDF coalition partners. The Kerala government has 21 cabinet ministers covering all major departments.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) office in Thiruvananthapuram can be reached at 0471-2518006. The Kerala Wildlife Warden’s office is at 0471-2362217. For human-wildlife conflict emergencies across Kerala the Forest Department helpline is 1926. For eco-tourism bookings at Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady call 04869-222027. The official website for Kerala forest information is forest.kerala.gov.in and for wildlife information keralaforest.gov.in.

RSP stands for Revolutionary Socialist Party of India. It is a left-leaning socialist political party that has historically been part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala but switched to the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance. The RSP has a strong base in southern Kerala particularly in Kollam district. Shibu Baby John representing Chavara constituency is the party’s key ministerial representative in the 2026 UDF government. The RSP was founded in 1940 and has roots in the labour and trade union movements in Bengal and Kerala.

Eco-tourism in Kerala forests can be booked through multiple channels. For Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady visit periyartigerreserve.org or call 04869-222027 for boat rides, bamboo rafting and jungle patrols. For Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary contact the Wildlife Warden Wayanad at 04936-202454. For Eravikulam National Park near Munnar book at eravikulam.org — advance booking mandatory as entry is restricted to protect the Nilgiri tahr habitat. KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) at ktdc.com and 1800-425-4747 manages eco-tourism packages across multiple forest zones. All eco-tourism is managed under the Forest Department which is overseen by Minister Shibu Baby John.