Greens call for drone surveillance to audit sea plants

Coinciding with the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, environmentalists have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce an audit system to keep a check on the tidal plants being destroyed under the guise of “permission for diversion” by various project proponents.

July 26 is observed as the UNESCO-driven International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem - and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has described Mangroves as a link between the land and the sea.

Climate change is here to stay and hence every inch of the mangrove system must be protected as the plants not only act as a buffer between land and the sea but also as effective carbon sinks. Mangroves also support a whole lot of aquaculture such as fish and crabs and serve as rain forests, NatConnect Foundation pointed out.

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Project managers often seek permissions for diversion which actually turns out to be destruction without any supervision or control, NatConnect Foundation wrote to the Prime Minister.

Appreciating the PM’s dream project MISHTI - Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes – NatConnect director B N Kumar suggested that the government should go beyond attractive acronyms and take strong measures to protect the sea forests.

There is absolutely no check on the number of mangrove plants that go under the axe for infrastructure projects. For instance, if an organisation takes permission from the High Court for the diversion of a certain number of mangroves, there is no supervisory system to verify if the project contractors exceed the limits, Kumar said.

This leads to wanton destruction without any checks, he contended and called for strict audits and surprise checks with drone flights and physical checks of construction sites to keep a close eye on mangroves.

Mangrove is a state subject, yet the Centre and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) could play a meaningful role in protecting and conserving the plants which play a major role in sustaining the environment, NatConnect said.

Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, pointed out that mangroves are victims of a double whammy – violation of the High Court order to protect and conserve them and the destruction of project proponents.

He concurred with NatConnect's suggestion for a strict audit of mangroves by using technology such as drones and satellite mapping.