The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) will actively consider a proposal submitted by the Mavoor grama panchayat to conserve the fast shrinking wetland in Mavoor. If approved, nearly 500 acres of wetland in and around Mavoor will come under the tag of Community Reserve, shortly.
The grama panchayat authorities said the proposal, which contains comprehensive details on conservation drives and eco-friendly developments in the area, would be approved shortly as per information received from the KSBB. Representatives of the Board had recently visited the panchayat to study about the project in detail, they said.
“The main aim of the proposal is to protect the wetland from unauthorised fillings, land encroachment, and dumping of plastic and other solid waste. We have been ready with the proposal for years,” said Deepa Puliyappuram, president of Mavoor grama panchayat. We came to know that the Board would take a final decision on the proposal at its next meeting, she added.
The panchayat head said the plan would not attempt to take possession of the existing private land in the project area. “Our motive is to protect and sustain the greenery in the area, prevent destructive practices that affect migratory birds, and promote eco-friendly development programmes,” she said.
Though the move to declare the Mavoor wetland area as Community Reserve has been hailed by environmental activists, they, however, shared concern over the mode of “development plans”. The conservation project, according to them, should not pave the way for promoting development works in the guise of eco-friendly ventures by altering the natural ambience of the land.
