Snuggled between the Vellar estuary in the north and Coleroon estuary in the south, the Pichavaram mangrove forest spans some 1,100 hectares, its complex root system and inter-tidal ecosystem offering a sturdy barrier against seawater intrusion, waves and flooding. Photo source: ©© Karthik Easvur
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While heads of states and development experts fly around the world to discuss the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, a forgotten tribe nestled in Pichavaram mangrove forest, is already practicing a new way of life – and they are pointing the way forward to a sustainable future.
Indeed, it was the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest, located close to the town of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, that spared the community massive loss of life during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, protecting some 4,500 Irulas, or 900 families, from the full impact of the waves…
