Several varieties of mangroves, spread over vast tracts of land, have been cut down in Kannur in the south Indian state of Kerala in recent years to facilitate shrimp farming.
All through, 58-year-old Parayil Rajan, a resident of Thavam, near Pazhayangadi, has been fighting a lone battle against the trend. Besides creating awareness among the people, he is on a mission to cultivate mangroves, especially the varieties that have dwindled due to deforestation, in his nursery on the premises of his house.
Rajan, a fisherman, has been planting mangroves right from his childhood, and their massive destruction of late has been disheartening to him. Mangrove varieties such as Ezhuthanikandal, Kuttikandal, Pookkandal, Chullikandal, Machinthol, Nakshathrakandal, Vallikandal, and Uppukaravu are slowly disappearing from Madayi and Pazhayangadi areas. Mangroves are being cleared from private land for shrimp and Kaipad farming, for which huge funds are made available by various agencies, he said.
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/man-of-the-moment-for-dwindling-mangroves/article38388291.ece