New Delhi/Mumbai (January XX, 2022): A high-level symposium titled “Restore Mangroves, Resist Climate Disasters” was organized by Rotary Friends of Environment (FoE) in partnership with ESRAG in Mumbai. RC Bombay Pier was the lead host for the seminar which was held at Hotel President in Mumbai and attended by several hundred physical and virtual attendees comprising Rotarians and conservationists.
Earlier, at the 26th United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta co-led a roundtable discussion with Patricia Scotland, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, that focused on the critical role mangroves play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Climate and environmental representatives and experts from more than 20 countries attended the Roundtable and pledged to act alongside Rotary to help save and restore mangroves. This conference was the first follow-up event to the Roundtable to create a sustainable and ecologically sound blueprint for Rotary Clubs and Districts.
The Rotary Friends of Environment (FoE)-Mangrove team is headed by Chairman Rtn. Ajay Gupta and supported by Convenor Rtn Meenakshi Venkataraman, Rtn Biswajit Ghosh, Rtn. Pramod Jejurikar, Rtn. Ramesh Agarwal, Rtn Rajesh Chaudhury, Rtn Kedar Nath, and Rtn Sree Nandy. The lead host Club Bombay Pier was represented by its Club President Rtn Darshana Vasa and IPP Rtn Rupen Doshi.
In his opening address, Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta stressed the need for impactful and scalable projects in mangrove restoration. Emphasizing the role of mangrove habitats in creating climate-resilient ecosystems, he said that the environment was everyone’s responsibility, and each one needed to come forward and participate in the plantation process. Finally, he advised that the Rotary Friends of Environment (FoE) should extend its network beyond the Indian shores and synergize with like-minded countries across the globe.
True to the spirit of international collaboration voiced by the RI President, the speakers included innovators and grassroots conservationists worldwide. Rtn. Vic Grosjean of the Ocean X group and the UN Young Innovator Award winner tuned in from Melbourne to share his work on tackling marine pollution in small islands countries of the Commonwealth and the blue carbon impact of mangroves.
Rtn Kazi Amdadul Hoque, founding director ESRAG and climate specialist at Friendship NGO operating in Sunderbans, joined from Bangladesh. He deliberated on the need to create raised plinths and mangrove nurseries, use Nature-Based Solutions, and mobilize the community’s economic development.
Dr. Peter Odote from the Rotary Club of Mombasa Nyali connected from Kenya and shared about the plantation activities undertaken by his club and his key learnings and takeaways in preserving the mangroves and the marine ecosystem in his country.
The programme also witnessed the launch of ‘Irotree,’ a mobile app that will enable the collection of tree plantation data and further engage with Rotaractors for data enrichment as a welcome new age solution for environmental data management. The app, an ESRAG offering, is a brainchild of Rtn Suresh Ananthakrishnan of RID 3203 and Rotary Club of Mettupalyam and has been funded by Rtn Sathyamoorthy of RC Coimbatore Midtown.
Senior Government officials and conservationists from West Bengal and Maharashtra led their profound insight into the threats, policies, and the way forward in an engaging panel discussion. The eminent panelists included Shri Virendra Tiwari -APCCF Maharashtra Mangrove Cell, Shri Piar Chand -Addl. PCCF & Director, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, Shri Ravikant Sinha – Retd. PCCF, West Bengal, and Dr. Bibhash Pandav, Bombay Natural History Society Director. Dr. Sheetal Pachpande from Shri Tiwari’s team highlighted the successful model of the Mangrove Cell implemented in Maharashtra.
The second-panel discussion of the day involved corporate sustainability (CSR) champions who had set new benchmarks in the domain of mangrove management and conservation. Senior representatives Ms. Tejashree Joshi from Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co Ltd and Shri Prantik Sarkar from Tata Chemicals Ltd shared their best practices that could be adopted, replicated, and built upon by corporates in other parts of the country.
The symposium indeed met its end when following the ideation, experience sharing, and exchanges; the first actionable project was already on the horizon. Rotary India Humanity Foundation has been working closely with Bandhan Konnagar, the CSR wing of the Bandhan Bank group, on building a long-term collaboration on its Coastal Belt Mangrove Rejuvenation Project in the state of West Bengal (Sundarbans area). Bandhan Konnagar team presented its plans for the rollout of this defining project amidst much appreciation.
The successful symposium concluded with a promise of safer dawn for one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet.
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Email Address: Jyoti.Rai@rotary.org