New Delhi, February 18 Ten thousand mangrove saplings were planted in the Sundarbans region on Tuesday as part of a green initiative founded by a former Rajya Sabha MP, according to an official statement.
The planted saplings will be geo-tagged to monitor their growth, and microclimate sensors will be deployed at the sites to keep track of salinity, tidal behaviour, temperature, and humidity, in order to develop adaptive restoration strategies, it said.
The Green India Challenge initiative – founded by former BRS Rajya Sabha MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar in 2018 – will also work towards strengthening community resilience by initiating cyclone and flood-resistant agricultural practices, rainwater harvesting, freshwater storage systems, and soil conservation measures in the region, the statement added.
According to an official, the initiative draws its strength from visionary leadership, scientific validation, and youth mobilization. Universities, research institutions, and innovation ecosystems collaborate to guide species selection, plantation density, and erosion-control methodologies.
"Sustainable eco-tourism, solar-powered transport, clean water access, and waste management are integrated to ensure that conservation generates economic dignity," the official said.
The mangrove plantation drive comes at a time when the Sundarbans – the world's largest mangrove ecosystem and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – are facing several challenges due to climate change.
The adverse effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels, erratic rainfall and frequent cyclones, have put the region under ecological stress, and threatened the lives and livelihoods of communities living there.
These impacts of climate change can be mitigated by mangroves, which act as a natural shield against cyclones, tidal surges, and coastal erosion, the statement said.
"Mangroves absorb storm surges, stabilise coastlines, sustain biodiversity, and protect millions of coastal residents. In the Sundarbans, mangroves are not merely trees; they are survival systems," it asserted.
