Apollo Tyres and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) have announced their partnership on a critical mangrove restoration project in the Kannur district of Kerala. Mangrove forests are unique ecosystems extremely rich in biodiversity, growing along inter-tidal coastal habitats such as shorelines, estuaries and backwaters.
The Kannur Kandal Project aims to ensure the survival of existing mangroves and increase the acreage of such habitats across Kannur, potentially making it a prototype for other coastal districts of Kerala and a model for the rest of the country.
Mangrove forests have faced considerable destruction 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.
The project site will be in Kunhimangalam village in Kannur district, which is one of the largest mangrove villages of Kerala. A hub located will be established in the natural ecosystem for mangrove-based education, serving as an open-air laboratory for research and promoting restoration through community and government participation.
25 May, 2016
