Apollo commemorates International Day for Conservation of Mangroves

The mangrove conservation project, referred to as ‘Kannur Kandal project’, initiated by Apollo Tyres in partnership with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), recently commemorated the UNESCO-mandated international day for the conservation of mangroves at Kannur, Kerala. Honourable Mayor of Kannur Municipality, Ms E P Latha was the chief guest at this half-day event, which was attended by senior government and forest officials, representatives of Apollo Tyres and WTI, Community Members and Academia.

The Kannur Kandal project aims at ensuring the survival of the existing mangroves and increase acreage of such habitats across Kannur, potentially making it a prototype for other coastal districts of Kerala and a model for rest of the country. The students of Payyanur College in Kerala, presented a skit on ‘Mangroves – Our Friends’.

In the last fiscal year, the project has been able to reach out to over 10,000 stakeholders and has developed a nursery with 3,000 saplings, which is being used for mangrove restoration.

Commenting on the initiative, Satish Sharma, president, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd, said: “Environment is a key stakeholder for our organisation, and its conservation is integral to us. This project on Mangrove Conservation serves the critical need for raising awareness on the protection of this fragile ecosystem that is essential for the existence of coastal landscapes.”

Vivek Menon, ED and CEO, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said: “WTI turns 20 this year and we are extremely proud of our conservation action on the ground. In our vision of a secure natural heritage of India, we have not lost sight of biodiversity-rich eco-systems such as mangroves hitherto ignored by most.”