Ecological Mapping + Monitoring + Evaluation + Community Engagement + Pollution Solutions + On-Ground Rewilding = Healthy Catchments + Climate Resilience!
Rivers Connect Us All
While river systems cover less than 1% of the earth’s surface, they provide habitat and breeding grounds for over 40% of the earth’s species. Many people are unaware that they are the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth!
Rivers are the beating heart of the ocean, connecting mountains to floodplains, to the sea. Yet, despite the vital social, cultural, environmental and economic value that they provide, our catchments are suffering from a range of negative impacts from over-development, poor land management, waste & pollution, invasive species and poorly regulated water use, with studies reflecting that over half of the earth’s river systems have been severely affected by human activities. Left unchecked, these cumulative impacts are irreversibly damaging incredibly complex ecological systems, along with our climate and our way of life.
Our Rewilding our Floodplains program takes an integrated, ecosystem approach to determine waterway health based on key environmental factors. We work with the community to develop solutions that will create real change and long-lasting rejuvenation of our catchments and the ocean, exploring multi-stakeholder strategic corridors that create a bridge across catchments, from source to sea, while providing long-term climate resilience.
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THe Poovar Catchment, KERALA
The name Poovar derived from Poo-Aar, meaning a river brimming with flowers, and can be traced back to Raja Marthanda Varma, the 18th century king of Travancore who sought shelter in this coastal hamlet and fell in love with it for its stunning biodiversity and natural beauty. Connecting the Neyyar river, which flows from the stunning Western Ghats ranges, to the Arabian Sea, this Intermittently Closed and Open Lagoon or Lake (ICOLL) is a unique and dynamic system, which sits within one of the world’s 10 Marine Biodiversity hotspots.
Sadly, today Poovar is a shadow of its former self, plagued by upstream and local sewage outflow, petrol and chemical effluents, solid waste and burning of plastics on its shore, as well as severe erosion, invasive species, a poorly managed tourism industry, and severe nutrification from the poorly designed flushing of the Neyyar Dam upstream.
Working directly with the local tourism industry, local Panchayats (government), The Kerala Biodiversity Board, as well as a team of dedicated local community members and indigenous fishing communities we aim to restore the Poovar estuary bringing it back to reflect the stunning biodiversity and natural beauty that it was once home to, reconnecting blue forests and ensuring climate resilience before it’s too late.
OUR SOLUTION
Since mid-2023 our team have been developing a multi-faceted program to breathe life back into the Poovar Lagoon systems before it’s too late.
To date, we have:
- Mapped the entire estuarine extent of the estuary and riparian areas within it for key threats including waste and pollution hotspots, invasive species, water quality issues, sand mining and logging operations, obstructions to natural flow, clearing, erosion mitigation barriers, as well as key erosion areas.
- Developed relationships with a range of local stakeholders, including tour operators and businesses, as well as the local Panchayat (government), the Kerala Biodiversity Board, and the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) to assist us in driving the program forward.
- Developed a comprehensive strategy to achieve our long-term objectives.
Our Goal: Our goal is to drive the funding mechanisms forward which are needed to turn our strategy into reality, ensuring that we can rewild this vital catchment from source to sea. Ensuring sustainable, alternative, conservation-focused employment for the tourism industry and local marginalised women and youth through carbon and biodiversity offsets, which also ensure that Poovar is protected in perpetuity.
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