The Hindu Business Line : Efforts on to revive the lost mangroves of Pichavaram

INDRANI and Nithya were hip-deep in the muddy waters of Pichavaram mangroves as they search for shrimps in the silt. They spend a few hours a day, during low tide, picking shrimps that will fetch them about Rs 30.

A fisherman tries to net fish sitting in a dugout. It is in their interest to cherish the thick mangrove vegetation that will assure them an abundant supply of fish and shrimps. Making them understand this and ensuring their cooperation in maintaining the mangroves is key to conservation.

But in the last few decades, villagers like them have chopped up these trees for firewood. Hundreds of acres of mangroves have been lost along with the livelihood of the local villagers. Fish and shrimps have become scarce.

Contrary to expectations, scientists from the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) have shown that the losses can be reversed and mangroves restored. But this is only possible with the involvement of local villagers. They should benefit from the conservation process for long-term survival of the environment, the scientists say.

Based on their successes at Pichavaram, the mangroves in Cuddalore district in southern Tamil Nadu, the foundation is pushing for joint mangrove management, an effort involving the local communities, the forest department and the scientists or non-governmental organisations.

Mangroves are not just about fish and shrimps. They are a valuable resource that offer myriad benefits, says the programme director, Dr V. Selvam, addressing a team of journalists on a visit organised by the foundation to the project site.

The mangroves, with their unique vegetation capable of thriving in clayey soil and high salt conditions, protect coastal areas from high-speed winds and flood.

They are also a valuable source for genes that can be transplanted into food crops. The genes that make them salt-tolerant can be transplanted into rice and wheat, and these can then be cultivated even in coastal areas where productivity is low due to saline conditions.

But the local villagers are more concerned about their everyday life. Firewood fetches attractive prices - beats soaking in the muddy waters for hours together to catch shrimps. Letting the forest officials loose on them does not scare them off. But help them to understand that the environment can prove a major source of livelihood, then they are willing to listen, he said.

Here is where Joint Mangrove Management (JMM) comes in, says Dr Selvam. Taking a cue from Joint Forest Management (JFM), a success story in forest conservation, JMM should be tailored to meet the requirements of mangrove conservation. Villagers get a range of forest produce, fruits, and berries, apart from non-timbre firewood. But in the mangroves fisheries is the only viable option.

The Centre should lay down guidelines letting the local communities to rear crabs in traditional methods. Another option is sea ranching of shrimps. Declare a shrimp sanctuary within the area and let loose shrimps seeds in the sanctuary. As the seeds grow the larger shrimps will migrate to the periphery where villagers can catch them. All these will help the villagers earn.

But for these, the forest department that is in charge of the mangroves should be told that these are permitted activities. They need guidelines on do's and don'ts.

According to Mr D. Arun, District Forest Officer, the JMM by the scientists has helped villagers and forest officials work together. Ecotourism, not the commercial variety by letting in private players, with villagers providing services such as boating will give an additional source of income. Income from the mangroves can be shared with the creation of a council consisting the village representatives, NGOs and officials. As in JFM, a part of the income can be retained by the council to maintain the environment and the balance can be shared by the local communities. The experiment at Pichavaram has helped to restore mangrove vegetation coverage to about 1,500 hectares in 5-6 years. But years of work can be lost in a few days if villagers let cattle loose in the area, he said.

The foundation is planning to set up a national resource centre to spread the know-how it has acquired over the last decade from the experiment at Pichavaram mangrove conservation. The Canadian International Development Agency and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests supported the project.

According to Dr Selvam, of the total area of 1,750 hectares of mangrove, only about 400 - 500 hectares were left in the early 90s when the project commenced. Since then, they have managed to restore mangrove cover in about 1,500 hectares.

The national resource centre will aim to disseminate the technology and the lessons learnt from the project at Pichavaram, he said.

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