Mangrove forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change by carbon sequestration. However, these habitats are rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, urbanisation amongst other factors. This loss has devastating consequences for the environment and communities that depend on them for their livelihoods. To address this crisis, the government recently announced a new initiative for mangrove plantations along the coastline and on salt pan lands to enhance the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities.
Recognising this, Ericsson, in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, has taken the initiative to plant about 100,000 mangroves and other plant species along select coastal villages around Porbandar in Gujarat to provide natural protection against coastal damage. About 20,000 fruit-bearing trees will also be planted across 10 villages to provide alternate income opportunities to more than 2000 local families.
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However, what makes this initiative unique is Ericsson’s usage of technology which will enable the use of geo-tagging services with sensors and peripheral devices to monitor the growth conditions for the mangroves and take data-based decisions to optimise that growth. As a part of the ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem-Based Climate Change Adaptation’ project in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the data collected will then be used to make decisions to optimise their growth and increase the survival rate of mangrove saplings.
“With this partnership, Ericsson aims to enhance the resilience of coastal communities which are vulnerable to climate change and natural hazards through an ecosystem-based, community-centred, and technology-based approach to adaptation,” said Abhay Kumar Vaish, director, Ericsson India Global Services. The project will enable alternate, climate-resilient livelihood opportunities to complement farm and fishing activities that are undertaken in this coastal belt.
According to Vaish, ICT based solutions can play a critical role in preserving and managing mangroves. ICT solutions like sensors and cameras can help monitor the environmental conditions and detect health trends of the mangroves in real-time. Further, the data around water quality, soil conditions, biodiversity, etc., can extensively help create appropriate conservation strategies.
“The project advances Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India’s plans for resorting the coastline of Gujarat and Maharashtra and is aligned with the National and respective States Action Plan for Climate Change with significant potential to scale,” said Prerana Langa, CEO at this not-for-profit network agency.
This initiative in India builds on Ericsson’s Connected Mangroves project in Malaysia that was launched in 2015 and in Sasmuan, Pampanga in Philippines in 2017. “We partnered with the local government of Sasmuan, Pampanga, in Philippines for a project aimed at protecting the local community from flooding and storm surges while promoting sustainable livelihoods. The project utilised IoT sensors and mobile broadband to monitor the growth and health of the mangroves,” Vaish revealed.
“Another example is our successful Connected Mangroves project in Malaysia, which was launched in 2015,” he said, adding that this project utilised mobile broadband, IoT, and cloud technology. The result was an increase in the survival rate of mangrove saplings from 40% to 80%. The project also helped to reduce illegal logging and increase the income of local fishermen. “It is worth highlighting that the “Connected Mangroves” project was awarded under the United Nations Momentum for Change ICT as a shining example of how ICT and mobility can be used together to restore dwindling mangrove plantations and while protecting residents from natural disasters such as flooding,” he revealed.
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ACTION ON THE GROUND
* The Ericsson-supported project to plant 1,00,000 mangrove saplings in coastal Gujarat
* Use of geo-tagging services with sensors and peripheral devices to monitor growth conditions
* Data collected to help increase the survival rate of mangrove saplings and create conservation strategies for the future
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