Nov

International Mangrove Day Celebrated at WTI-Apollo Tyres Mangrove Conservation Project Site

Kunhimangalam, Kerala, August 02, 2016: To mark the UNESCO-mandated International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26, a Mangrove Interpretation Centre (MIC) was inaugurated at the site of the Kannur Kandal Project (Mangrove Conservation Project), launched earlier this year by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in partnership with Apollo Tyres.

The centre was formally inaugurated by Mrs P Ragini, vice president of the Kunhimangalam panchayat, while the inauguration event was chaired by panchayat member Mr EV Narayanan. “I hope the Mangrove Interpretation Centre will create much needed awareness among students and the general public on the importance of mangrove conservation”, Mrs Ragini said.

_{Dr Jafer Palot of the Zoological Survey of India talks about faunal diversity of mangroves in Kerala in his session during the seminar}

Mr TP Padmanabhan Master, eminent conservationist and editor of the nature education magazine Soocheemukhi delivered the keynote address, declaring that the MIC would be a milestone in the history of mangrove conservation in Kerala. He suggested that the centre and the Kannur Kandal Project in general must be “unique in its methods of disseminating knowledge about the mangrove ecosystem and its conservation.”

Botany and Zoology students of Payyanur College, as well as scientists, academicians, conservationists and members of the general public attended the event.

In addition, a one-day seminar on ‘Mangrove Ecosystem and its Ecological Importance’ was conducted at the seminar hall of Payyanur College in association with the college’s Department of Zoology. The seminar was launched by Kunhimangalam panchayat president Mr M Kunhiraman, who expressed pride in the fact that his panchayat has large areas of mangrove forests, and observed that the conservation of nature is essential for ensuring sustainable and improved living conditions for communities. Mr Kunhiraman also unveiled posters on mangrove awareness designed for the event.The seminar was presided over by Professor KP Aravindakshan, Head of the Department of Zoology, Payyanur College. Dr Saravanan, a scientist from REEF Pondicherry, conducted a session on the ecological importance of mangroves while Dr Jafer Palot, scientist with the Zoological Survey of India, Calicut, led the session on the faunal diversity of mangroves in Kerala. Undergraduate students of the zoology and botany departments of Payyanur College actively participated in the event.

Following the seminar, a field visit was led by Dr Saravanan, Mr VC Balakrishnan, Dr Swaran P and Dr Sapna Jacob to mangrove forests which had been secured by WTI and international NGO World Land Trust.

Other prominent attendees included Ms Smitha R, CSR specialist, Apollo Tyres; Professor M Jayarajan, President of SEEK; Mr V Vijayan from One Earth One Life; and Mr Rajan PP of the Mangrove Conservation Committee, Edat. Mr Sajan John, Manager, WTI delivered the welcome speech while WTI field officer Mr Ramith M delivered the vote of thanks.

_{Dr KR Saravanan of REEF, Pondicherry interacts with students during a field visit into the mangrove forests at the project site}

Launched in April this year, the Kannur Kandal Project aims to ensure the survival of existing mangroves and increase the acreage of mangrove habitats across the Kannur district of northern Kerala. The project is based out of Kunhimangalam, the largest mangrove village in Kerala; land for the project site was procured with the assistance of World Land Trust, an international NGO.

Key objectives of the project include ensuring protection and conservation of the 12.5-acre mangrove plot; increasing awareness on mangrove conservation; bringing together all key stakeholders regarding mangrove conservation; initiating a mangrove nursery; and encourage restoration of mangroves in degraded mangrove areas.

Kannur has 7.55 sq km of mangroves, i.e. around 45% of Kerala’s total mangrove forest cover. Nearly 90% of these forests are under private ownership and are therefore highly threatened.