Forest dept creates new post to protect mangroves

“The need for such a post arose when the 5,800 hectares of mangroves were declared as protected forest by the Bombay High Court,which asked the government to hand them over to the forest department. An additional 15,000 hectares may be added soon,Vasudevan said. “Mangroves in Maharashtra are in a state of degradation and conservation strategies need to be employed to save them,” he added.

Vasudevan’s main priorities are to ease the degradation of mangroves by improving their ecological conditions and protect them from developmental pressures,such as encroachment and felling.

“Mangroves require certain ideal conditions like freshwater inflow and good tidal outflow but because of blockages,such as pollution load,dumping of waste and sand deposition,the tidal flushing gets affected and mangroves cannot grow. This is especially a problem in Mumbai. Thus,we will try to create the required environment in mangroves by removing these blockages. When mangroves are hacked,gaps will be filled with other plantation,” he said.

Demarcation of mangroves all over the coast,which has been completed in Mumbai,also needs to be done,he added.

Vasudevan,a 1987 batch of the Indian Forest Service,had assumed office on December 29.

Vasudevan,who holds a PhD in marine biology from Cochin University,was earlier deputed in Kerala.

He has even won a special award from M S Swaminathan Foundation for his work on mangrove forests in Maharashtra.

Vasudevan finds enforcing the rules,despite the urban pressure faced by the mangroves,as the biggest challenge.

“But I hope to find support from NGOs,local protection committees and people. This appointment is very close to my heart and that is why I have taken it up,” he said.