Apollo Tyres has teamed up with the Wildlife Trust of India to kick off a project to conserve mangroves in Kerala. The initiation of the project coincided with the International Day of Biological Diversity. Christened The Kannur Kandal Project – ‘kandal’ being the Malayalam word for mangroves – aims to ensure the survival of existing mangroves and increase the acreage of such habitats across Kannur. The exercise aims to make itself a prototype for other coastal districts of Kerala and a model for the rest of the country.
It’s notable that mangrove area in Kerala reduced significantly over the years. Of the historically established 70,000 hectares, only 1750 of mangrove remain. Most of the mangroves have been gobbled up by coconut plantations, agricultural land, aquaculture, real estate or land grabbing.
The site for Apollo Tyres – WTI’s project will be in Kunhimangalam village in Kannur district, which is one of the largest mangrove villages of Kerala. The project will establish a hub, located in the natural ecosystem, for mangrove-based education, serving as an open air laboratory for research and promoting restoration through community and government participation. A mangrove nursery and community-based initiatives to enhance public awareness and reduce threats to mangroves are other aspects of the project. Particular efforts will be made to generate scientific interest about mangroves among the youth.
Land secured with the support of World Land Trust, an international NGO will serve as the nodal site for all conservation activities conducted by WTI and Apollo under this project.
Vivek Menon, WTI’s Executive Director & CEO, said “I am extremely pleased that we at the Wildlife Trust of India have partnered with Apollo Tyres to launch the Kannur Kandal Project. This is a crucial first step towards the securing and restoration of our mangrove forests; I trust that as the project unfolds it will serve as a model for Kerala and subsequently, the rest of coastal India.”
Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA region), Apollo Tyres Ltd said, “We are happy to partner with Wildlife Trust of India on mangrove conservation, a project that has huge ecological significance. This association reflects our commitment towards bringing conservation issues to the forefront, raising awareness and creating positive impact.”
Mangrove forests have faced destruction the world over, with less than half of the original acreage remaining. About half of that loss has occurred in the last 50 years, and a significant amount in just the last two decades, especially due to human population growth and intrusive development. Data from Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring platform, shows that the world lost 192,000 hectares of mangroves between 2001 and 2012.
The initiative from Apollo Tyres is appreciable in that regard. We wish the tyre company all the best in their quest to restore mangroves in Kerala and surrounding regions.