Spadework for the declaration of the Chettuva mangrove forests of the Chavakkad taluk in Thrissur district has been completed.
The green signal for the formal declaration is expected to be given by the State Board for Wildlife (SBW) at its meeting to be held at Thrivananthapuram on June 21.
The Chief Wildlife Warden and member secretary of the SBW, K.J. Varughese, said that 3.38 hectares of the Chettuva mangrove forests was proposed to be declared as the Chettuva bird sanctuary. “The location sits in the middle of an estuary with dense mangrove patches and serves as a habitat for wetland and migratory birds,” he said.
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After formal declaration, the Chettuva mangrove forests will become the seventh bird sanctuary of the State. The existing sanctuaries are Kadalundy, Kumarakom, Mangalavanam, Pathiramanal, Pakshipathalam, and Thattekkad.
Mr. Varughese said that the area was ecologically significant and had to be conserved as a protected area since it was very prone to human intervention. Moreover, it was the only intact mangrove vegetation in the entire coastal region of the Thrissur district, he said.
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42 species
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The Chettuva mangrove spread was one of the most rewarding birdwatching destinations of the State and some of the avian inhabitants there are on the threatened and declining list.
Environment scientist and SBW member Sainudeen Pattazhy, who undertook a study of the Chettuva mangrove forests in 2003 as part of a UGC project, told The Hindu that he had identified 42 species of birds there.
He said loristic analysis revealed that the vegetation comprised 12 mangrove species belonging to 10 families.
Eco-tourism and other biotic interferences had caused large-scale disruption of this fragile community, resulting in the alarming decline of the mangrove cover.
Dr. Pattazhy added that he would place a suggestion at the SBW meeting to name the new sanctuary after Mahatma Gandhi or B.R. Ambedkar.