THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Imagine getting to see the locations of fish availability, clam availability, mangroves, seaweeds, locations where sand is being mined and so on, at the click of a mouse. The resource mapping of the Vembanad Lake, the very first resource mapping of a water body in the country, is moving at a fast pace, that has surprised the Kayal Samarakshana Samithis of the area and the NGO that initiated the project, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE).The ATREE officials have made it easier for the fishermen and other stakeholders of the lake by printing out a map of various parts of the lake in huge carpet-like flex sheets. “We have divided the whole lake into grids and so, all that the fishermen and clam-collectors have to do is point out the fishing zones where they find an abundance of a particular kind of fish or clam or shrimps,’’ said programme officer of ATREE, Krishnakumar. They then gather at a fisherman’s house or a school compound, spread out the huge gridded-map on a big table or the floor and every fisherman gives information about what kind of fish is found where. While clam-fishermen give information about clam-availability and presence of fossil shells, tourism operators give information about resorts as well as houseboats operating in the area. Once information is gathered from all possible sources from nearby panchayat areas, these are plotted together to zero-in on the potential and reliable fishing zones. Likewise, potential areas of clam resources, shrimps, mangroves, fish breeding areas, clam-breeding areas are all plotted on the sheet, some of which will invariably overlap. “We are also documenting the kind of nets used by fishermen - whether it is sustainable, birding areas, areas where otters are found and so on. We started this project for a documentation of natural resources which is very important for the development of appropriate management plans,” said ATREE project coordinator Latha Bhasker. All the information collected would ultimately be plotted one over the other, leading to the creation of a complete resource map, which will help in the better management and utilisation of the resources of the Vembanad Lake. The mapping exercise is now going on in the panchayats of Vechur, Aymanam, Kumarakom, Muhamma, Kainakary, Punnapra, Mannancherry, Thanneermukkom, Aryad and Alappuzha municipality. The map not only records the current availability of resources but also the past and present trends and cause-effect relationship.“Along with this, zones used for subsistence activities such as fishing, sand-mining, gathering of fodder, house-boats, resorts, tourism activities in the lake, clam collection, weed-covered areas are also being marked,” said Krishnakumar. This project is expected to contribute in a big way to the better management and revival of the Vembanad Lake, which is a Ramsar site and renowned for its live clam resources, sub-fossil deposits and a huge collection of biodiversity.
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