Kerala’s mangroves in troubled waters

Will Kerala be devoid of its remaining mangroves that have been guarding the coast from the fury of nature? It’s the proposal of the panel to set up a mangrove land bank, wherein small and isolated patches of mangrove vegetation could be relocated that has triggered the debate. The panel also said that the extent of mangrove to be relocated can be decided by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority along with the local body representatives. Dr. Kurup noted that the CRZ notification 2019 had drastically deviated from the recommendations of the 1991 and 2011 notifications, and permitted the clearing of mangrove vegetation for a host of activities, including construction of roads and public utilities, with a condition that three times the extent of mangroves removed shall be replanted. Dr. George, a Principal Scientist with the Fishery Resources Assessment Division of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, felt that a scientific implementation of the proposed provisions for the mangrove land bank was required in the Kerala coastal region as a pragmatic solution for protecting the small patches of mangroves.