Help Us Save The Mangroves Of Aghanashini | Milaap
Help Us Save The Mangroves Of Aghanashini
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    Created by

    Sahaya
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    This fundraiser will benefit

    Coastal communities of Uttara Kannada district

    from Karnataka

“We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children”

Aghanashini is a special river. Being the last free flowing river in peninsular India, she has been running her natural course since millenia. Clean and clear, her water has nourished and nurtured not just hundreds and thousands of people but also thriving ecosystems along her banks. All these years, mangrove ecosystems in the Aghanashini estuary have quietly played their part in protecting and nourishing people.


Locally called kandla, mangroves provide safe breeding grounds and homes to a lot of marine organisms in their impressive root systems. The trees themselves provide and care for a number of birds. Their breathtaking roots enable marine organisms to attach themselves which then filter water, thus trapping and cycling essential nutrients! Mangrove forests in the estuary have acted as barriers against storms and other forces of nature that threaten to raze down people and villages who live close to the coastline. They also have stabilised the shoreline and prevented the soil from erosion. Mangroves also trap a lot of carbon thus playing its crucial part in combating climate change - one of the most pressing problems of our generation.


The beautiful, chaotic roots of mangroves


But the mangroves of Aghanashini are under tremendous pressure. Developmental aspirations, economic inroads, miscommunication about the importance of mangroves all have chipped away at the mangrove forests. Mangroves, thorny and swampy, are often called wasted lands that cause diseases. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Arabian Sea has seen four cyclones this year, the first time it has happened since 1902. Not only are the cyclones increasing in number, they are also increasing in intensity. Mangroves are our best chance of defending ourselves against them. They are more effective and less costly than manmade seawalls.  

We, at Sahaya, work at the grassroots level with the stakeholders who not only are the ones to protect and also stand to gain from these productive mangrove ecosystems. We work with the government, schools and the communities around these mangroves to safeguard them for the next generation.  By clearing misinformation, we aim to focus on the economic benefits that mangroves bring to these areas and the importance of these beautiful ecosystems to not just their village communities but also the planet.


Mangroves in the area are under tremendous pressure

We have already shortlisted a few schools in areas that are crucial for mangrove ecosystems (and the communities depending on them) to survive and thrive. Through this campaign, we will be working with the school children to stress the importance of mangroves and the imperative to preserve them in their backyard. We will be conducting field trips along with the local forest department staff so that the children understand why and how mangroves can be protected and their own role in safeguarding them. Through innovative experiments, we also aim to inculcate a scientific temper and a new way of looking at their own kandla vana. We will also be distributing information booklets to further involve them in understanding mangrove ecosystems. We will also be conducting activities like painting competitions, quiz shows, and documentary screenings among others.


One of the schools shortlisted for the campaign


Sample page from the information booklet


Help us in protecting these awe-inspiring mangroves in the Aghanashini. For ourselves and our future generations. 

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