Environmentalists are urging the government to recognize Chamundi Hills as a fragile ecosystem and vital watershed for Mysuru, rather than solely a tourist and religious site. They emphasize that unchecked development, including altered drainage and concretization, directly impacts groundwater recharge and water availability. Activists advocate for scientifically determined limits on construction, traffic, and visitor numbers, warning that incremental approvals without a carrying-capacity framework cause irreversible damage to the hill's biodiversity, which includes numerous bird and butterfly species.