The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Educator’s guide on Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve prepared

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Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Educator’s guide on Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve prepared

P. Oppili

CHENNAI: An educator’s guide on the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve has been prepared by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) to conduct school education programmes in Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts.

The objective of the book is to create awareness of the Gulf of Mannar area and the need for conserving the corals and related life forms in the area, said N. Ramjee, Scientist-in-Charge, CEE, Tamil Nadu.

The organisation found that the degradation of natural resources, be it the forest or the marine life, was mainly due to lack of awareness among people, particularly locals. The organisation mainly targeted children to educate them on the importance of the conservation of natural resources, he said.

Sometime ago, the organisation prepared a questionnaire on marine life for school teachers of Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts. When the the teachers were asked to respond, they were unable to answer the questions. Their awareness levels were abysmally low, Mr. Ramjee said. The centre has identified more than 300 schools in both districts. More than one and a half lakh children would be covered under this programme.

The centre had also created a passport for children participating in the programme. Judicious utilisation of the resources of the Gulf of Mannar, obtaining details of the marine biosphere reserve from CEE and official representative of the Gulf of Mannar area were some of the rights of the passport holder.

Five sections

The publication has been divided into five sections — value of oceans; the Gulf of Mannar, its uniqueness; rare and important life organisms found in the Gulf of Mannar; and issues and concerns besides conservation measures to protect the area.

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