Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin   

Campaigns on conservation of coral reef planned

Protect them: New coral recruits found in the Gulf of Mannar.

TUTICORIN: Coral reef conservation in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve is set to get an impetus, with stakeholders planning an array of campaigns this year, the ‘International Year of the Reef.’

The Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, affiliated to Manonamaniam Sundaranar University, will join hands with the district administration, the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust and the Gulf of Mannar Marine National park and bring out posters highlighting the importance of coral reef ecosystem in the Gulf of Mannar.

The posters, numbering 20,000, will be pasted in villages that dot the 140-km coast, from Tuticorin to Rameswaram, and in government offices and educational institutions in Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts.

Furthermore, they will also roll out a campaign through the visual media to explain how coral reef and the associated flora and fauna are facing more threat worldwide from the natural and anthropogenic impacts.

“These activities will strengthen the awareness of the ecological, social, economic and cultural value of coral reef and associated eco systems, besides helping the people come to grips with the critical threats to reefs,” J.K. Patterson Edward, Director of the institute, told The Hindu.

The institute also plans to produce a documentary on coral reefs (both in English and Tamil) with funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The documentary will be distributed, on DVDs, to educational institutions free of cost.

Conservation measures will have to be stepped up to sustain the increase in the coral cover from 36 per cent to 41.11 per cent recorded last year after degradation for almost three decades, according to Mr. Patterson Edward.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

“Farm loan waiver will have impact on reforms”
Campaigns on conservation of coral reef planned
Kisan mela to popularise dry land farming technologies

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu