12 Sep 2002 Bhitarkanika National Park, India, Indian Sub-continent Communities | Forests
This project will set up a resource centre designed to improve local awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems.
The Community based Mangrove Resource Centre (CMRC) at village Gupti of the Bhitarkanika area is designed to demonstrate the appropriate and alternative educational strategies to mobilize fishing communities in particular and others to conserve and restore the mangrove ecosystem. This CMRC will facilitate and carry out active research on local problems with regard to poverty alleviation.
After the "Super Cyclone" in 1999 and the gravity of the devastation along the coast, the importance of mangroves as a coastal buffer is keenly felt. The importance of conserving the mangroves must be shared with the inhabitants in an integrated manner through the CMRC which will help to educate the coastal people to manage and conserve mangroves in a sustainable way.