The Hindu : Kerala News : College plans mangrove conservation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 20, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

College plans mangrove conservation

K.S. Sudhi

Botany Department's community outreach programme

Kochi: Many a lesson is taught in the classroom. But when learning goes beyond its four walls, the results prove beneficial to society.

Towards that end, the Botany Department of Sacred Hearts College, Thevara, is taking up an assignment to conserve mangroves.

The learners here are not regular students but people in Nettoor and Kumbalam areas. This community is the target of a mangrove conservation project, which the department is planning to take up.

Mangrove adoption

The department is all set to adopt a few stretches of mangroves in the area to be developed as a model unit for conservation. Awareness programmes are being planned among local fishermen communities on the need for conserving mangroves, which are breeding grounds of a number of fish varieties.

The stretches to be adopted are along the Konthuruthy-Kumbalam sector and near Nettoor Railway Station premises. Southern Railway officials have given the green signal for the project on three hectares of its premises, says V.J. Dominic, director of the Nature Club of the college.

Though the college had earlier approached the Forest Department with a similar project, it failed to take off. The present outreach programme of the department will see the Maradu panchayat, Southern Railways, and the college's National Service Scheme and National Cadet Corps units, tourism club and the botany and zoology associations coming together for a green cause.

Minister for Fisheries and Sports Dominic Presentation will launch the programme at a function on Nettoor Railway Station premises on January 28.

In the first phase, nearly 120 students will take part in the programme and saplings of mangrove varieties will be planted on the railway station premises. Documentation of the mangrove vegetation and protection of fresh stretches will be undertaken in the coming days, Dr. Dominic says.

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