UT site for FAO pilot project

PUDUCHERRY: The UT was recently selected as the pilot site for the Bay of Bengal Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) Project, a collaboration of eight countries, and executed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Under the project, a study will be conducted here to develop an Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) plan that could be applied to the rest of the country.Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have declared their willingness to work together through the project. The aim of the project is to develop a coordinated programme of action to better the lives of the coastal populations through improved regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment and its marine wealth. The two-year scheme would include a comprehensive study of the marine ecosystem in the UT and the factors influencing it. At the end of the study, an action plan would be formulated to counter degradation of the marine resources and provide solution-based inputs drawn from similar experiences in the rest of the region.PondyCan, an environment group, will coordinate the preparations of the project here.According to Prober Banerjee of PondyCan, Puducherry was chosen over other parts of the country based on a number of factors: the presence of a number of environment groups already working on coastal management systems, the perceived accessibility of the government and a clearly defined coastline of 24 square kilometres.Banerjee informed that the process of forming a team to initiate the study would soon be taken up.  The ICM will look into important issues affecting the coastal system in the UT including the rapid rate of erosion and fishing and allied activities, which are facing a drop in production.  The rights of the coastal communities would also be factored in while drawing up the action plan. While BOBLME itself would initially fund the project, other sources, including the government, would be looked into as the study progresses.  The first meeting of stakeholders was conducted recently, Banerjee said, while adding that similar ones would soon be arranged to form a common platform for exchange of ideas.