21 Community-based reforestation and management of mangroves for poverty reduction in the east coast of India - T. Ravishankar^[28] and R. Ramasubramanian^[29]

ABSTRACT

A variety of human induced stresses and factors are largely responsible for the degradation and reduction of mangrove vegetation. A mangrove conservation and management project on coastal wetlands has been implemented by the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in eight villages in the east coast state of Andhra Pradesh, India, to address the ecological security of the coastal areas and the livelihood security of the coastal communities. The project emphasized the need for community involvement in forest resource management and developed alternatives for mangroves for fuel, alternative employment and restoring the degraded mangroves. Members of these coastal communities, majority fishermen, including women, were trained in various forestry restoration activities such as nursery raising, canal alignment and digging and planting, The project has succeeded in improving the ecological conditions of the mangroves, as well as the livelihood of the communities dependent on these mangroves.

INTRODUCTION

Mangroves consist of intertidal flora and fauna found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world between 32° N and 38° S and are distributed mostly on the eastern coasts of the continents. Mangroves occur along estuarine areas, where there is a constant exchange between seawater and river water. These plants are able to survive in wetlands through adaptation to local conditions by producing stilt roots and pneumatophores. The mangrove forests cover the mudflats between low water levels to the limit of the highest high water level.

Mangroves maintain a unique ecosystem because of their adaptability to survive along riverbanks near coastal areas. The mangrove forests form thick vegetation along the coastline thereby subsiding the effect of cyclones and also reduce the force of storm water entering the mainland. The mangrove wetlands serve as spawning and nursery grounds for many economically important freshwater and marine finfish and shellfish (FAO 1994). They also prevent soil erosion along the coast.

CAUSES OF DEGRADATION OF MANGROVES

A variety of human induced stresses and factors such as changes in water quality, soil salinity, diversion of river water, sedimentation and other land-use practices are largely responsible for degradation and reduction of mangrove vegetation (Uma Maheswara Rao and Narasimha Rao 1988, Ravishankar et al. 1998, 2001). Indiscriminate use of mangrove resources and clear felling of mangrove forests for rehabilitation and as a forestry practice in the past were the reasons for the present degraded status of the mangrove wetlands.

The fishermen living near the mangroves depend on the mangroves for their basic livelihood and fuel needs. Collection of fish, prawns, crabs and mollusks is the major fishing activity apart from the collection of prawn seeds for aquaculture practices. Unsustainable collection of juveniles has led to depletion of fishery resources in the mangrove wetlands. As a result, fishery production in the adjacent coastal waters has also been reduced. Also due to overexploitation of fishery resources, the fish catch has decreased drastically. As most of the fishermen are below the poverty level, their unsustainable way of fishing is continued.

In order to address the above issues a project has been implemented by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Kakinada, on Coastal Wetlands: Mangrove Conservation and Management. The strategies and activities of the project were designed to address the ecological security of the coastal areas and the livelihood security of the coastal communities to reduce poverty through employment generation and income generation programmes. The project activities are implemented in eight villages in Andhra Pradesh. The major activities are developing alternatives for mangroves for fuel, alternative employment and restoring the degraded mangroves.

STUDY AREA

The Godavari and Krishna wetlands in Andhra Pradesh are located in the coastal plains of the deltaic regions between 16° 30’ - 17° N and 82° 23’ E in the East Godavari district and between 15° 42’ - 15° 55’ N and 80° 42’ - 81° 01’E in Krishna and Guntur Districts (Figure 1). As per the records of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, the total area under mangrove wetlands in the two estuaries is 58 263.1 ha of which 33 263.32 ha are in Godavari delta and 24 999.47 ha are in the Krishna delta (Rajesh Mittal 1993). Godavari and Krishna Rivers bring copious fresh water into the mangroves during the southwest monsoon and an additional but less amount during the northeast.

POVERTY REDUCTION ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Mangrove forest restoration activities as an income generation source

Restoration of degraded mangroves arrests further degradation and increases the fishery resources. The fishermen community is the key stakeholder involved in the restoration work. Since the work involves intensive labour the members of the village level institutions are getting wage employment opportunity. The labour costs involved for restoring 1 ha of degraded area are given in Table 1. Before starting restoration activity microplans are drawn and the money is deposited in a joint account. The president of the respective Forest Protection Committee (FCC), representatives of the Forest Department and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation are the account holders.

Table 1. Labour absorption for 1 ha mangrove planting including nursery

Community members, both men and women, were trained in nursery raising, canal alignment and digging and planting, The fishermen are not familiar with either farming or restoration practices as their occupation is fishing and their main source of food and protein requirements are met from fishery resources.

Figure 1. Study areas

Community members restored 520 ha of degraded mangroves in Godavari and Krishna, and earned Rs.9 513 400 (US$21 148) (Table 2). Details of the area restored, the area under the Mangrove Management Units, the number of saplings planted, their survival percentage and the year of planting are given in Table 3. The Mangrove Management Units (MMUs) include the degraded and verdant mangroves and are managed by the respective FCCs of Coringa and Krishna Wildlife Sanctuaries. The restoration has been undertaken only in the Reserve Forests after obtaining permission from the Forest Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, in order to ensure future management by the department and the community.

Table 2. Restoration money accrued to each village

The villagers of Bhairavalanka had not been able to complete their concrete houses which were started with the support of ARTIC and State Housing Board Corporation as they could not pay the beneficiary contribution. The wages earned by the community in the restoration work helped them to complete their houses. The hard work also helped in laying roads in the villages under the Food for Work Programme. Through the Food for Work Programme the villagers obtained employment for over three months.

Table 3. Details of mangrove restoration in the demonstration villages

*Reorientation of canals and maintenance undertaken.

Community mangrove nursery

Mangrove nursery is important to meet the seedling requirement for planting in the degraded forests during the monsoon season. Raising of mangrove nursery is also essential because the seeds/seedlings will not be available during the planting period and a better survival rate is ensured. The areas where restoration was planned are elevated and hence the tidal flushing will not be there for several months leading to a hypersaline condition and degradation of the mangroves. In order to overcome the problem of low survival and also to provide alternative employment for the community, a community mangrove nursery has been established. The saplings were grown in the nursery for eight months. During that period the saplings would reach a size of 10 mm in diameter and 60 cm in height. About 250 000 saplings were bought from the community and planted in the restoration sites and the rest were raised by the project involving the villagers.

Alternatives for mangroves to reduce pressure on the vegetation

The villagers are provided with alternatives to mangrove dependency and weaned away from using mangroves for firewood, fencing, house construction and fishing poles. The community wood lots are raised in Matlapalem- 1.1 acres, Dindu-0.15 acres, Bhairavalanka-40 acres (with Casuarina) and Kobbarichettupeta-0.6 acre (with Eucalyptus). The VSS plantation for Bhairavalanka community is ready for harvest. The community will use the side branches for their domestic needs. The main poles will be sold and the money will be utilized for village developmental activities. The Deenadayalpuram community plantation is raised in 2 acres with 1700 saplings of timber plants.

Awareness on the use of Prosopis, coconut- and Borassus-palm refuse as alternatives to firewood, house construction and fencing was generated. The fishermen were not using these alternatives before. Smokeless stoves were distributed in all demonstration villages. The Forest Department provided the stoves. Similarly 250 kerosene stoves and 246 gas stoves were distributed with matching contribution from the villages in order to drive home the message of ownership.

Socio-economic development activities

In socio-economic and poverty mitigation programmes, fishing nets, sewing machines, rice and pulse grinding machines and coir ratting machines were distributed to villagers dependent on mangrove forest for domestic consumption and for commerce. Trainings on sewing, prawn- and fish-pickle-making, vermi-composting and candle-making were also conducted. Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) were formed and the habit of saving inculcated and further inter-loaning is encouraged in the groups.

Women from Deenadayalpuram and Zinkapalem villages were trained in sewing and dressmaking and were provided with sewing machines. Fishing nets were provided to 50 families in Kobbarichettupeta and 30 families in Matlapalem, and 1160 Giriraja hybrid chicks to all the demonstration villages. Coir artisan training was given to five youths of Bhairavalanka, coir rope-making was taught to five women. Trained women in the making of coir ropes, doormats and coir crafts came from eight families in Matlapalem, 16 families in Dindu and 26 families in Bhairavalanka. Ten women were trained in tailoring in Dindu. Forty villages were trained under the UNDP-Coir Board Training Programme. Thirty machines were ordered for starting the microenterprises. Two trainings were conducted for agriculture farmers with the help of the Agriculture Department to motivate them to shift their pattern of farming. Training on leadership skills was provided to all the demonstration villagers.

Monetary support leveraged from government agencies

Financial support for constructing 50 houses was received from ARTIC and State Housing Board Corporation in Bhairavalanka. Similarly 20 houses were constructed in Dindu with the support of SRAVANTI - OXFAM and State Housing Board Corporation.

The compound wall of Kobbarichettupeta School was constructed with Rs.20 000 from the project and Rs.80 000 from the government. Similarly in Gadimoga, Rs.6000 was provided by the project for constructing a toilet, the Government provided Rs.54 000 In Zinkapalem Rs.20 000 was contributed from the project for constructing a bridge and the government has provided Rs.100 000. The government has provided a matching grant for 58 gas stove connections to the women SHG members in Krishna.

Self help groups (SHGs)

In Godavari, the project is working with 21 groups of the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWACRA) formed by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). It provided financial assistance to 5 women SHGs in Matlapalem (69 families), 4 women SHGs in Dindu (52 families), 6 women SHGs in Bhairavalanka (51 families) and 6 women SHGs in Gadimoga. Except for the groups of Bhairavalanka, all the other self-help groups were formed earlier under the DRDA. In Krishna, 7 women SHGs were formed at Deenadayalpuram, 6 at Zinkapalem and 10 in Nali. The project is implementing microcredit programmes with 44 women SHGs in all the 8 villages. Since most of the villagers are occupied in fishing, the women self-help group members are involved in fish vending. Financial assistance provided by the agencies is used to buy the dry fish from the market which are then sold in nearby villages. A few members have started petty shops and vegetable and fruit vending.

DISCUSSION

The mangrove dependent fishermen were involved in raising mangrove saplings and in the selection of degraded mangrove areas, canal alignment, digging and planting. This has helped them earn wages for more than three months every year for three years. By their involvement in the above work, the fishermen families are now used to the hard work, which made them to lay roads within their villages through the "Food for Work" programme and earn rice and pulses as wages, which could last for three months for each family. As the women and men were involved in the restoration and management of the mangroves, the fishermen now feel that they should manage these resources in a much better way in coordination with the Forest Department.

This case study emphasizes the need for community involved forest resource management. The study has succeeded to improve both the ecological conditions of the mangroves and the livelihood of the community, as clearly indicated in the words of Mr. Krishnamurthy, a typical villager, who said "Initially we ignored the project staff. But they were patient and kept visiting our village, something no one else did because we live on a remote island. Now we have great faith in the project and will definitely protect and conserve our forest".

At present due to the impact of the project activities for the past six years, the community is well organized and is able to leverage support from development schemes sponsored by the government agencies. The participation of women in the project activities has empowered them to raise their concerns in the village and obtain government support for the socio-economic development of the village. The participation of the community in the project activities has made the people realize the importance of mangroves for the wellbeing of the coastal community.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, for his constant guidance and encouragement. The help and cooperation rendered by the staff of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department are deeply acknowledged. The India-Canada Environment Facility (ICEF), New Delhi, is thanked for the financial support. The present study is being conducted in collaboration with the fishermen of Godavari and Krishna mangrove wetlands.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FAO. 1994. Mangrove forest management guidelines. FAO Forestry Paper 117. Rome.

Rajesh Mittal. 1993. Management plan for Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.

Ravishankar, T., Ramasubramanian, R., Srinivasa Rao, N., Sridhar, D. & Jeelanai, M.M. 1998. Report on the status of mangroves of Andhra Pradesh-Godavari and Krishna. Kakinada, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

Ravishankar, T., Ramasubramanian, R., Srinivasa Rao, N., Sridhar, D. & Jeelanai, M.M. 2001. Report for the period from April 2000-March 2000. Kakinada, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

Uma Maheswara Rao, M. & Narasimha Rao, G.M. 1988. Mangrove populations of the Godavari delta complex. Indian J. Mar. Sci. 17:326-329.