Kovalam bringing mangroves back to life

CHENNAI: The degradation of mangroves in Kovalam Creek is so severe that most of us while heading to Kovalam Beach could not infer there was a mangrove forest once. The situation may soon be different as TN forest department has commenced planting mangroves to reclaim Kovalam Creek.

When DT Next visited Kovalam creek, the portion of the ecologically sensitive spot, after crossing Muttukadu Bridge, looked like a barren land with removed Prosopis juliflora (Seemai Karuvelam) plants seen simmering, literally. A few metres after the barren-looking land, there is a lush green plantation of newly planted Avicennia marina (Karun-kantal) saplings. However, the forest department has a herculean task as the invasive species has gobbled up almost the entire extent of the creek that is yet to be removed.

The state forest department, under TN Wetland Mission, has removed the invasive alien plants of Prosopis juliflora and replaced them with Avicennia marina, a mangrove tree species.

“On a pilot basis, around one hectare of creek was cleared of Prosopis juliflora and planted with 7,000 saplings of Avicennia Marina to restore the ecosystem,“ said Deepak Srivastava, Member Secretary of Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority, said.

Impact to be studied in three months

He added that Avicennia marina is a salt-tolerant species. The department has brought the seedlings from Maravan Kadu in Pichavaram mangrove forests in Cuddalore with the help of the local Irula community. The project is being carried out along with the forest division in Chengalpattu district and the State Green Committee.

As the project is being implemented on an experimental basis, the Authority will conduct an environmental impact assessment after three months and based on the outcomes of the assessment, more mangrove plants will be planted across Kovalam Creek. If Kovalam Creek is effectively restored, the government will also extend a similar proposal to other mangroves as well as riparian ecosystems in the state that have degraded over the years.

“Reclaiming mangroves in Kovalam Creek will facilitate fish cultivation and act as a habitat for birds and other species. The project will be successful even if 90 per cent of the saplings grow. We can replant the 10 per cent saplings again, “ Deepak Srivastava added. TD Babu, a member of the state green committee, who took part in the project, said the idea is to convert Kovalam Creek like the Pichavaram mangrove forests. “Even though Kovalam Creek does not have any fresh water source (river) like Pichavaram, we can restore the mangroves. This will enhance fish resources,” he said.

He explained that there are 100 acres of land near the Kelambakkam toll plaza. “During the second phase, mangroves can be planted there,” he said.

The ‘EnviStats India 2022’ report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, a few months ago, revealed that the total extent of mangrove cover in the State has increased since 1987. As per the report, the State had 23 sqkm of mangrove in 1987. In 2021, the mangrove cover has increased to 45 sqkm. Of the 45 sqkm of mangroves in Tamil Nadu, 17 sqkm are open mangroves and 27 sqkm are moderately dense mangroves. Only one sqkm of mangrove in the state is very dense, the report said.

Meanwhile, the state wetland authority and water resources department is doing a bathymetric survey to remove invasive species from Ennore Creek and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has taken measures to study the impact of fly ash on Ennore wetlands.