KOLLAM:The sighting of a mangrove tree estimated to be over 100 years old has been projected as one of the most remarkable discoveries of a mangrove survey undertaken by an expert team in Kollam district on Saturday and Sunday. The survey is part of an exercise to prepare a database on the surviving mangrove forests in the State.
Former chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board V.S. Vijayan led the survey conducted by the Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad. Convener of the team V.K. Madhusudanan said the centenarian mangrove tree from the Sonneretia caseolarisspecies was seen surviving in a healthy condition at a private property on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake at Kureepuzha in Kollam city.
The team plans to name it ‘Mother Mangrove' and make recommendations to the city corporation for providing a regular incentive to the property owner for the upkeep of the tree. The tree has a girth of 50 inches and its roots cover an area of more than 50 sq ft.
All known major mangrove pockets in private and public land in the district were surveyed. While government data showed that the district had 58 hectares of true mangrove forests, the two-day survey found that the district had a true mangrove forest coverage of more than 100 hectares and another 20 hectares of mangrove associates.
source: The Hindu 12 July 2010
Former chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board V.S. Vijayan led the survey conducted by the Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad. Convener of the team V.K. Madhusudanan said the centenarian mangrove tree from the Sonneretia caseolarisspecies was seen surviving in a healthy condition at a private property on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake at Kureepuzha in Kollam city.
The team plans to name it ‘Mother Mangrove' and make recommendations to the city corporation for providing a regular incentive to the property owner for the upkeep of the tree. The tree has a girth of 50 inches and its roots cover an area of more than 50 sq ft.
All known major mangrove pockets in private and public land in the district were surveyed. While government data showed that the district had 58 hectares of true mangrove forests, the two-day survey found that the district had a true mangrove forest coverage of more than 100 hectares and another 20 hectares of mangrove associates.
source: The Hindu 12 July 2010
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