Noted poet and environmental activist B. Sugathakumari has urged the academic community to enlighten society about the intangible benefits of Nature.
Presiding over a function organised here on Tuesday in connection with the release of a book on mangroves in Kerala, she called upon academicians to speak out against the controlled exploitation of Nature for commercial gain. Pointing to the mindless destruction of mangroves for the construction of hotels, shopping malls and the LNG terminal at Puthuvypeen, she said public awareness about the intangible benefits of biodiversity held the key to conservation.
“While the social impact of a shopping mall can be measured in terms of the employment opportunities and turnover, the benefits of a mangrove forest to the natural ecosystem are not visible but enduring. This explains why mangroves are making way for concrete structures all over the State”.
Man, she lamented, had turned into a demonic creature devouring everything before it, looting and plundering Nature without a thought for future generations. “We tend to forget that we are only as important as any other species on earth,” she said.
Ms. Sugathakumari highlighted the need for a coordinated movement to check the constant plunder of natural resources.
Delivering the keynote address, BJP leader and former Union Minister O. Rajagopal said the popular movement against the Aranmula airport project indicated the need for people’s participation in conservation efforts. “Fortunately, things are turning out in favour of ecological interests, despite the State government’s backing for the project”.
He said society had to maintain constant vigil to prevent projects such as the international cricket stadium slated to come up on a mangrove habitat in Ernakulam. Mangrove forests, Mr.Rajagopal observed, had a critical role in carbon sequestration.
The authors, Tresa Radhakrishnan, Professor, Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, and M.R. Anilkumar, Mangrove Isle, Kayankulam, also spoke.
