With 2,000 hectares of replanted mangroves, Muthupet turns over a new leaf

IN one of the biggest campaigns aimed at fortifying Tamil Nadu's largest mangrove region, the state forest department has restored and planted mangroves across 2,057 hectares in the Muthupet region of Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts between 2022 and 2025.

- S V Krishna Chaitanya

Mangrove forests act as an ecological buffer against climate change impacts such as storm surges, coastal erosion, and a rise in sea level. The three-year campaign was spearheaded by the Tiruvarur Forest Division.

The Muthupet wetland complex, comprising 12,020 hectares, is situated at the confluence of the Koraiyar and Pamaniyar rivers. It supports the largest stretch of Avicennia marina (grey or white mangroves), the species that accounts for 95% of the mangrove cover in the state.

Other species like Aegiceras corniculatum (black mangroves) and Rhizophora mucronata (red mangroves) have also been reintroduced to enhance biodiversity.

According to official records accessed by TNIE, 1,350 hectares has been brought under new plantation and another 707 hectares has undergone restoration through desilting and canal repair.