The Thoothukudi Forest Division has restored more than 200 hectares of mangrove landscapes in Palayakayal and Punnaikayal region in the last three years under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission and Tamil Nadu Bio Diversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR).
The forest department has now targeted the maintenance of the restored areas. Palayakayal and Punnaikayal, which are estuaries of Tamirabharani River, have been selected for the project, with the implementation of fish bone designs, which allow the water to reach every corner of the channels. Trunk canals, lateral canals and small distributaries are the types of channels involved in the design to restore mangroves in abandoned mudflats.
During high tide, water enters the primary channel, spreads laterally and finally reaches the corners of the distributary channels. Similarly, water drains out in the same way, flushing the system. Mangrove species planted in the fish-bone design in Thoothukudi include Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina.
Revti Raman, District Forest Officer, Thoothukudi, highlighted the need for mangrove maintenance for four to five years after their plantation. Some saplings were prone to withering due to nutrient deficiency and other factors and maintenance played a crucial role in sustaining the mangrove landscape. Since planting required technical skills, the work was carried out by the forest department, with awareness being created through NGOs, schools and college students.
"In addition, the forest department is also involved in restoration of 25 hectares of mangrove landscape in Palayakayal under the Tamil Nadu Sustainability Harnessing Ocean Resources and Blue Economy mission and more than 20 hectares of natural mangrove forest in Mullakadu region," Mr. Raman added.
He emphasised sustainable development through conserving natural resources, stressing that it should be carried forward to the next generation.