Sandhan Foundation

09:41 pm: Mangrove Action Project
Mangrove Action Project

The Coastal Community Resource Center was established in conjunction with and a showcase of the philosophies and mandate of the Mangrove Action Project. The Mangrove Action Project, part of the Earth Island Institute, is an organization for the conservation of mangroves worldwide. It has many different projects working all over the world, including Australia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, and much of Southeast Asia. Mr. Quarto, of MAP helped Bijay Nanda in the development of the CCRC philosophy and mandate and has been providing consultation in sustainable energy and education options. MAP works largely through action alerts, identifying threats to mangroves and alerting activists to the cause.

There is currently an action alert concerning the Bhitarakanika mangroves and the Korean Steel Company, POSCO, which is in talks with the government of Orissa to create a plant that might possibly draw water from one of the watersheds that feeds the sanctuary. At the moment it is too early to determine the threat this development posses to the mangroves of Bhitarakanika, as talks are still in their early stages. Pressure from local activists, those involved in the CCRC, and international actors alerted by MAP will hopefully help to alert both the government of Orissa and POSCO to environmental and developmental concerns of the project.

Mr. Nanda also worked with MAP to develop a yearly calendar composed of pictures of mangroves and small excepts of poetry and writings by children living in countries with mangrove habitats. The 2005 calendar is for sale on the MAP website.

09:22 pm: CCRC Project Development
The CCRC Project is an innovative approach to sustainable development. We have taken a previous government-run rest house located at Gupti, on the outskirts of Bhitarakanika and renovated it. While the building itself is intact and ready to accept visitors, the campus is still undergoing renovations.

After filling the 1 acre space with soil, as to be above the tidal flood line, we have constructed a barbed wire fence around the perimeter and several pools which will eventually serve as a kind of living museum to the seventy-odd mangrove species found in the region. While we might anticipate that it may be impossible, if not very difficult to cultivate all the species in such a small stretch of land, perhaps data gathered could illuminate some of the causes of species zonation in mangrove forests.

Other pond will be used to showcase marine life, including the abundance of crabs that have already taken up residence on the site, and to attempt to promote fish stocks and do a demonstration of aquaculture in the area.

Thatch huts have been designed for long term visitors such as the team of Indonesian artisans who we are planning to host in October, scientists, management students the advisory committee, and ecotourist. Three have already been built and a forth is in the process. While we have yet to design the mangrove museum that is to be located on the site, we are already in the process of gathering and organizing educational materials that will be located there.

Also on the campus, there will be biogas, solar, and possibly wind generation demonstrations to showcase sustainable energy options for the region. We have also tried to plant many types of trees to test their growth and viability in the saline soil found in the region and convince the local people to diversify their agricultural practices from the single-crop cultivation of salt-tolerant rice.

While we are still in the development stages of the project, community involvement is increasing thanks to the hard work done to engage local villagers in the building process. Also, Mr. Biswal, who is currently serving as the on site supervisor is actively traveling to the local villages to promote awareness of the project in hopes of attracting more community members to the site, considering that we are planning to host a meeting ot the UNEP GPA in November to showcase this new approach to coastal community and ecosystem management.

05:36 pm: Welcome!
Well this is the first entry in the Sandhan Foundation Blog. Welcome. The Sandhan Foundation is registered non-profit public trust established in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa, India. It is a Center for Media Documentation on ecology and biological resources of the state.

We exist to promote awareness on and about innovative technology, nature conservation and restoration amoung women, youth, children, illiterates and literate rural-coastal villagers. Our hope is to encourage wise use of natural resources and eco-friendly sustainable development through knowledge and formation of multiple linkages between the community, government, the market, and other nonprofit organizations.

Our main project at the moment is that Coastal Community Resource Center, located at Gupti, which is in the final stages of construction (mostly garnishes).

Please visit the website: Sandhan Foundation Homepage