World Mangrove Day Celebration
To commemorate World Mangrove Day, a mangrove sapling plantation drive was held on 26th July in Rameswaram Island, Ramanathapuram District on behalf of 'Arulagam' Organisation under the guidance of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department with the participation of the Pamban Panchayath people in Kunthukkal village of Rameswaram Island.
Mr. Jagadish Bakan IFS inaugurated the plantations drive by planting mangrove saplings as the main event. Mr. S. Bharathidasan, Secretary, Arulagam presided over the function. 600 mangrove saplings were planted under the supervision of Mr. Mahendran (Forest Ranger, Mandapam).
Mrs. Lalitha Prakash, (Principal, K'SIR School), Mr. Nizam Muhaideen, (Eco Development Committee of Krusadai Island) and their team, Mr. Murugesan, (ward member, Thangachimadam Panchayat), Mrs. Saraswathi, (Project Executive, Green Rameswaram), Dr. Ilaiyaraaja (Balaji Hospital & People's Health Development Trust), Mr. Sikandar (Founder, Island Protection Committee), Ms. Rangelin, (PAD- People's Action for Development) and representatives from the Tamil Nadu Rural Reconstruction Movement (TRRM) attended as special invitees and planted saplings.
A special highlight of the day was the participation of 45 students from K'SIR School who planted mangrove trees and contributed to the coastal clean-up efforts.
It is noteworthy that the Arulagam Nature Conservation Organisation, with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-SGP), is carrying out a sand dune conservation project on Rameswaram Island in Ramanathapuram district under the supervision of TERI (The Energy Research Institute, New Delhi) under the guidance of the Union government. and Tamil Nadu state forest department.
Arrangements for the event were made by project officers Mr Natarajan, Mr Muhammad Shahid and Mr Karthik on behalf of the Arulagam. All the participants took a pledge to preserve the sand dunes and mangrove forests. In order to protect and nurture the newly planted saplings, the Sand Dunes Saviours Committee, the Environment Conservation Team and the Forest Department worked on various protection strategies. They identified the main threats to the seedlings, including algal blooms that affect seedlings, damage from seaweed harvesting vehicles and deliberate uprooting by individuals. The committee also identified effective methods to mitigate these risks.
Arulagam organised a series of events throughout the day. Under the guidance of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), a coastal clean-up drive was carried out with the active participation of students from K’SIR School, Coimbatore. Mr Kevinkumar, representing MSSRF, explained the plan to remove plastic waste and discarded nets from the sea and emphasised the importance of this effort to protect marine life and coral reefs.
As a result of the effort, approximately 400kg of plastic bags, torn nets, bottles and other debris were collected from the dune area adjacent to Kunthukkal Beach. The students were also taken on an educational visit to Kurusadai Island, where they learnt about marine life, the effects of climate change and the importance of coral reefs.
Mrs Lalitha Prakash, Principal of K'SIR School, Coimbatore, then unveiled the nameplate for the Arulagam - Sand dune conservation project with the participation of the local community. Mr. Mahendran, Forest Ranger of the Mandapam Mannar Biosphere Reserve, presided over the event and gave a talk on sea turtles. Mrs Saraswathi from Green Rameswaram engaged the students with a song about environmental awareness. The students participated enthusiastically, creating an atmosphere of learning and community involvement.
In his speech at the beginning of the event, Mr. S. Bharathidasan (Secretary, Arulagam) noted that mangrove forests and sand dunes play an important role in maintaining ecological balance. He highlighted how sand dunes help maintain the quality of drinking water by preventing it from becoming saline, and how mangrove forests are vital in mitigating disasters such as tsunamis while supporting the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Mr Jagadish Bakan, IFS, visited Arulagam's Neithal Nursery to inspect the saplings in the sand dunes and gave suggestions. Mrs Akila Patrick, President of Pamban Panchayat, offered her support in organising the activities.
The event began with a welcome speech by Mr. Natarajan, Programme Officer of Arulagam, and concluded with Mr. Karthik, Field Coordinator of Arulagam, giving a vote of thanks to all the participants.
