Mangrove tourist destination coming up near Karwar

The country’s first mangrove tourist centre has come up on the estuary of the Kali River near Sadashivgadh where the river meets the Arabian Sea. The eco-tourist centre would soon be open to tourists.

Talking about the facility, R Gokul, deputy conservator of forests, said, “Mangroves are one of the most important features of the coastal ecosystem. Its intertwined network of roots is not only a breeding centre for many variety of marine and river fish, but also a green wall against the onslaught of tsunami. These are the only  few things we know about mangroves.”

This new mangrove eco-tourism centre will help researchers study more about  wonderful plant species, he added.

Mangrove tourism is best explored by foreign tourists who love to waddle in waist-level water or even use a small hand-paddled canoe. “There are thousands of acres of mangrove forests, but all of them cannot be visited by tourists or researchers for many reasons.,” he said.

Explaining the reason, he said, “First, they are too eco-sensitive to allow large number of people for whatever reason to wander around; they might damage them or disturb the sensitive fish-breeding process. But to keep the secrets and pleasures of mangrove forests from the tourism circle is also a crime. We do not yet know what surprises the mangrove eco-tourism centre has in store for us. We are now concentrating on developing this  as one of the finest mangrove eco-tourism centre,” Gokul said.

The forest department had an island just a boat ride away from Sadashivgadh, where the department had planted mangroves some years back. There is a Kali Mata temple atop the island where thousands of devotees go every year for the annual fair. The fishermen consider it as ‘Devara Kadu’ (sacred groves).  They are now happy that the forest has been regenerated.

“The last generation of fishermen knew the importance of mangroves. They had made efforts to regenerate the forest. However, due to lack of knowledge and resources, it could not be done. In their community, mangroves are sacred,” said Vishnu Sawanth Bhonsle, the  temple chief.

Since this is the first organised mangrove eco-tourist centre, the forest department has taken steps to create awareness among  tourists by leveraging the power of the Internet.

Manjunath Salloli, the district information officer of Karwar, said, “A jetty to land the boats and a welcome arch will also be constructed in non-concrete materials. A boat from the forest guest house will also be plying to the island at regular intervals.”

District biosciences expert Dr Jayakar Bhandary said that there are many types of mangrove plants endemic to the western coast. For the benefit of tourists and researchers, signboards mentioning their generic names would be displayed. A handbook on mangroves is also being planned.