Snares in marine habitats. Tamil Nadu, HCL Foundation join hands for debris-free Gulf of Mannar

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD) has joined hands with HCL Foundation (HCLF), the CSR arm of HCLTech, towards marine and coastal conservation to resolve the ghost net and marine debris problem in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Tamil Nadu.

Marine ecosystems are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet accounting for 50 per cent of the oxygen generated on the earth. Coral reefs are critical marine habitats that support a high diversity of organisms and account for at least 30 per cent of all marine biodiversity though they occupy less than 1 per cent of the planet’s surface. Discarded or lost fishing gear, also known as ‘Ghost nets’, pose a severe threat to coastal and marine habitats.

Gulf of Mannar (GoM), India’s first Marine National Park and one of the largest biosphere reserves, is highly affected due to unsustainable fishing practices, dumping of plastics and ghost nets, which pose a serious threat to marine life.

TNFD, with support from HCLF, will work on baselining the current situation of ghost nets and marine debris at the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. A three-year action plan and ‘Debris-Free Gulf of Mannar’ mass awareness campaigns for a larger citizen’s action will also be conducted. Baselining and marine debris removal in the national park area will be done by the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve.

HCL Foundation is already working towards protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Along with its NGO partners, HCLF has been working on an incentive-based model for retrieving ghost nets for more than a year. The fishermen communities along the coast of Chennai – in Chengalpattu districts-- were directly engaged in this model to retrieve 57,000 kg of ghost nets and marine debris, says a release from the company.

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