Coastal and Marine Programme
Team: Kartik Shanker, Anusha Koushik, A. Murugan, Nibedita Mukherjee, Vinaya Natarajan, Sudarshan Rodriguez, Aarthi Sridhar
In 2004, ATREE started a Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme
expanding its research and conservation interests to the marine
field. The Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme at ATREE focuses
on the development of approaches to marine conservation that are
participatory, appropriate and which promote the sustainable use
of marine resources. There is a need to examine and revise approaches
to marine conservation in India, since current approaches are essentially
exclusionary and protectionist which alienate coastal communities
from the management of their livelihood resources.
The programme operates under the following
assumptions:
- In ecologically sensitive areas, the degradation of the marine environment can contribute to a livelihood-resource crisis for coastal communities.
- Coastal and marine conservation methods and practices must aim at reducing conflicts and promote conservation for sustainable use and enhancing livelihoods.
- In the marine space, conservation is virtually impossible without the involvement of local communities in conservation efforts.
- Conservation organisations should facilitate and support the development of successful community based conservation initiatives as a workable approach towards achieving conservation goals.
Current Projects
- The Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme currently works on the Orissa coast on
sea turtle conservation measures and fisheries management issues emerging in this region.
Recent conservation measures that had elements of excessive fishing restrictions had
alienated even the traditional fishing communities of the state. While there were
commonalities in the demands of the traditional fishing groups and the conservationists,
there was no common forum where these groups could interact and jointly advocate their
demands. In December 2004, the ATREE coastal programme team conducted meetings to
facilitate the formation of a common platform consisting of fishworker organisations,
local conservation organisations, local fishworker support organisations, community based
turtle conservation groups and local and national environemntal organisations. This led
to the formation of the Orissa Marine Resources Conservation Consortium (OMRCC) and ATREE
plays an active role in this coalition.
- The Coastal and Marine Programme at ATREE
also produces a newsletter called the Indian
Ocean Turtle Newsletter (IOTN) edited by Kartik Shanker.
- ATREE along with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore and Citizen, consumer and
civic Action Group (CAG) has been selected by the UNDP for executing the environmental
assessments components. This project aims at providing socio-ecological insights into
factors related to the Dec 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Project execution began from the
month of March 2006. The project forms the initial phase of a longer 2-3 year projected
conducting longer and more detailed assessments in the tsunami affected districts in India. More details available on www.ptei-india.org
Publications and Material
Marine Turtles of the Indian Subcontinent - buy this book
Coastal Zone Mangement Notification, Better or bitter fare?
News
Aarthi Sridhar and Kartik Shanker were requested by the UNDP to coordinate and prepare a consultative
review of the Swaminathan Committee report on the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification with a panel of experts. The UNDP has
made this available online and is soliciting comments before the 31st May 2006.
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Sub -Thematic Areas
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Critical habitats and endangered species
Community based coastal and marine conservation
Fisheries management
Inputs for Policy and Law
Coastal area management
Creation and coordination of coastal and marine conservation networks
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Geographic coverage:
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The Indian coastal areas (including the mainland coastal belt and island groups),
marine areas
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Habitats:
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Marine habitats (particularly the near shore areas) and coastal habitats
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Scope:
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Action based projects and research projects would be located in specific sites.
The components of the programme aimed at policy issues will extend to the national (Indian coast), regional and international level.
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Subject Areas
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Biodiversity assessment
Coastal land use planning and implementation
Conservation prioritization and land use
Law
Socio-economics
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Actions
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Research and analysis for appropriate marine and coastal conservation policies
Conservation prioritization for coastal and marine resources
Community based conservation programmes at specific sites
Advocacy on marine and coastal conservation issues
Facilitation and support to networks on coastal and marine conservation
Information dissemination
Training programmes on coastal and marine conservation
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Biological research areas
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Status of endangered species
Biodiversity assessments in critical habitats
Indicator species
Fish harvest data
Landscape ecology
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