CONTENTS-
Abstract
Introduction
Aims and Objectives
Case Study
Results
Referneces

Aquatic ecosystems hold great potential to serve a diverse set of uses from recreation and research, to ground water recharge.   They are also important habitats for a large number of residents and migratory water birds.   Aquatic ecosystems are continuously deteriorating.

Owing to the various factors such as pollution, siltation, tourism and uncontrolled growth of weeds, the sustainable management of these ecosystems is of prime importance from the point of biodiversity conservation.   This paper will highlight case studies of Chilika lagoon, River Noyyal and Point Calimere lagoon.

To save this unique ecosystem a number of ameliorating measures were taken in the past three years, which included opening of a new mouth to improve the salinity and tidal flux of the lagoon.     The improvement of communication network was also one of the major activities taken up in the surrounding villages.   There were many other allied activities started which included the fishery resource development that was depleting due to the anthropogenic activities and also the upliftment of the economic condition of the thickly populated peripheral villages.   Awareness Centre is being developed in the Satpada area to promote environmental education and awareness amongst the surrounding schools and peripheral villages through Centre for Environment Education.   A Centre for Wetland management was developed to facilitate the studies and research in the filed of Limnology, marine biology, hydrology, coastal influence on the lagoon, floristic and faunistic study, weed analysis, ecological and mathematical modelling, advanced oceanographic and hydrological studies like sediment transport, wave climate, tidal influence, lake bathymetry, hydrographic survey, weed dynamics, meteorological studies.   The centre would provide an excellent insitu advanced research facility in the above field.

Besides its programme in the Chilika, CEE has been working with water ecosystems in Tamil Nadu as well.   The CEE Tirupur Field Office is working on creating awareness to save the Noyyal River from Industrial pollution and municipal dumping.   On the East Coast of Tamil Nadu, CEE is working in Point Calimere to Campaign for a safe habitat from migratory birds visiting the Point Calimere Sanctuary in Nagapattinam District at the mouth of the River Cauvery.

“The ability to see, hear and speak is useless in the absence of adequate water.

Water is the basis of life.

Most life forms are born in water and live in it.

O water stream come near me.

You are the elixir of immortality”.

Atharvaveda, 3:13:6

Streams, rivers and lakes have been taken for granted to be convenient, seemingly inexpensive and inexhaustible sources of freshwater. Freshwater resources have been used for dumping wastes arising out of human activities resulting in water pollution. This inadvertently causes problems related to health of the ecosystem and of the human population dependant on the water body.

Many of our states have several rivers flowing through them. Each of these rivers is blessed with a well planned river water harvesting system designed by the kings that ruled over this region many years ago. Each river has a series of check dams and channels that feed the overflow water into lakes and tanks both natural and man made. Each of these lakes in turn feeds the ground water and the field wells of the particular town or village that it is located in.

To feed the river at its origin, each river is blessed with a watershed area. This is essentially a forest or grassland tract that helps to absorb rain water and hold it as ground water, before passing it through rocks and crevices which may emerge as rivulets that finally form the river.

Similarly, many of the lakes, both freshwater and estuarine, besides being sources of water are home to several species of animals, birds and invertebrates upon which many human populations depend.    

•  To create awareness about the role of water bodies likes rivers and lakes as ecosystems amongst all the stake holders and to motivate them to protect the same.

•  To establish certain developmental activities to prevent the lakes from getting polluted.

•  To help establish simple methods and protocols to constantly monitor water quality in the water bodies.

•  To network with NGOs of the region and through capacity building, orient them to continue the protection and campaign for the river or lake even after the project period is over i.e. to build sustainability into the project implementation.

Centre for Environment Education (CEE)

Centre for Environment Education is a national   institution established in 1984 as   a centre of   excellence in Environmental Education (EE) and as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Through its various projects and programmes, CEE creates environmental awareness amongst children, youth, adults and decision makers, governmental and non-governmental agencies. CEE's head office is in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and CEE has thirty offices in different parts of India. Many of CEE's offices have been creating awareness and coordinating activities for the conservation of freshwater and marine ecosystems. The Southern Regional office is in Bangalore and coordinates activities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territories of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshwadeep. Similarly, the Bhubaneshwar office coordinates activities in Orissa and West Bengal. The Goa office too has been coordinating marine conservation activities in the west coast especially in the Maharashtra and Konkan region.

Orissa

Chilika is a unique wetland with estuarine characters and an assemblage of marine, brackish and fresh water eco-system. It is a hotspot of biodiversity and shelters a number of endangered species listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species. The lagoon is an avian grandeur and the wintering ground for more than one million migratory birds and is a Ramsar site.

        It is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia having a vast and dream-like expanse with an average surface area of over 1,000 square kilometers. Unfortunately, the commercial exploitation of the lagoon and its natural resources has been a primary concern over the past few decades and has led to serious ecological and social impairments such as:

Siltation, deterioration of water quality resulting in loss of bio diversity and wetland productivity, poaching of juveniles (fish, prawns, crabs), poaching of birds, threat to the rare Irrawady dolphins, wasteful use of freshwater resources, silting up of wetland due to inappropriate land use and unsustainable agricultural practices.

There have been grass root level NGOs which have been working in these areas in the field of environmental awareness. They have been trying to motivate people especially students through formal, non formal and informal educational methods. CEE   has also been working in this field from the last two years in association with the Chilika Development Authority (CDA). An interpretation Centre has been developed in this area to promote environmental education and awareness amongst the surrounding schools and peripheral villages. The target groups of the project are the students, teachers, fishermen, youth and women. The centre aims at exhibiting posters, sign boards, interactive display boards in local languages to give a better understanding of the ecological importance of the lake and to make them more conscious towards the conservation of this ecosystem.   Apart from this CEE has also been conducting many environmental programmes in the nearby schools and communities like organising teacher training programmes in schools, nature camps for school children and organizing community meetings in villages.    

           PALLISHREE, a grass root NGO is also implementing environmental education and awareness programmes for the stakeholders of Chilika lagoon since last two and half years with the financial support of JFGE, Japan and technical support of RCJ, Japan   and CDA, Bhubaneswar.   The overall goal of the project is environmental awareness and education amongst the stakeholders of the lagoon with focus on bio-diversity conservation and wise-use. The focal point and nucleus of the entire programme is the formation of CEAEs (Center for Environmental Awareness and Education) and the following activities under the project are implemented through each CEAE. These activities were developed as an out come of the rich experience of the village schoolteachers and the suggested activities at the International Experts Meeting held at Chilika in 2000.

10 CEAEs were established in 10 schools at the strategic places in two cluster areas consisting of 40 villages and the community contributes a room in each school for the centre, each serving a combined population of over three thousand.   Through these centers, many environmental activities including making of posters, audiovisual materials and use of musical instruments for accompanying songs for creating awareness have been initiated in various places and schools. These centers serve as a good platform for exchange of ideas, thereby enhancing the implementation of environmental education programmes for the sustainable and wise use of resources.

A three-pronged approach to Environmental Education - namely Formal, Non-formal and Informal Education methods have been tried out.

The Formal education methods include resource packets such as a school textbook titled Environment of Chilika Lagoon printed in the local Oriya language. The Green Action Guide ( A CEE publication) has been translated in Oriya and distributed in Schools.

The Non-formal method encompasses all the activities carried out with trained facilitators who serve as resource persons and information repositories. At present, many such trained facilitators and environmentally literate people visit the centers frequently.

The Informal method is truly participatory and has been employed to ensure broad community participation.   It is effective because it successfully incorporates local folk traditions such as drama and dance with the messages of conservation. An example of this is the use of daskathia, a local performance art that incorporates the use of colourful costumes and special sticks while expressing important themes through song, dance and music. The root cause of environmental degradation, the importance of conservation measures and wise use practices is thus conveyed to the local audience.

There have been many advantages of the Informal Method of Environmental Education:

•  Communication of Information about Local Problems and Possible Solutions.

•  Entertainment as a Way to Transmit Information.

•  Use of Local Language, Terminology, Folk Arts, etc.  

•  Active participation of Local Performers and Directors.

•  Creative use of Dialogue to Ensure Audience Interest in Conservation.

•  A Larger Target Audience Reach including Women.

•  A Lasting Impression left on the Target Audience.

Skeleton of the reptiles, birds and aquatic animals of Chilika like fish, crab, prawn, and plants have been preserved in the centers and the Interpretation Centre. Environmental books, posters, leaflets, kits etc. on natural resources of the lagoon has been kept in the library for the readers in the CEAEs. Handicraft materials manufactured by the stakeholders using the raw materials of Chilika Lagoon have been exhibited at many places in the region. Birds, reptiles and small fish aquariums are kept in the premises of the centres to enhance the knowledge of the stakeholders about the biodiversity and their importance to the ecosystem.

Play materials, audiovisual materials, musical instruments, materials used for socio-cultural activities and a cassette containing the twittering sounds of different birds has been kept for awareness programmes to the stakeholders. Street theatre, socio-cultural programmes, audio-visual demonstrations etc. have been organised in every village to increase the level of awareness and education on environment, every week.

The facilitators are also organising meetings among the women in the villages on present status and problems and the need for wise use and good practices in the lagoon to make them aware of their responsibilities as well as their rights. Local NGOs and CEE have been working together to achieve maximum results. There have been activities done in the past few years to bring attitudinal changes in the people. These include efforts from both the governmental and non governmental stream. They include:

Publication of a newsletter               

A quarterly newsletter in local language namely MIRROR OF CHILIKA has been printed and circulated to the local schools, women's groups, youth groups, nature lovers and government officials. The material for the newsletter has been generated from the articles written by students, teachers, local youth, women's groups, NGOs of the target area.

Organising street theaters

DASKATHIA is a form of the local traditional street play with song, dance and a pair of sticks to produce a rattling sound. The performers use dazzling costumes to attract the crowd. It is amusing, interesting, exciting and at the same time, educative. This tool is used to communicate the messages of Environmental Education to the audience blended with entertainment. The advantage of this street play is that it can be performed at any common public place and does not need any stage arrangement. The script of this street play was modified to cover the root-cause of the degradation of the lagoon, conservation measures required, education on lagoon environment and its wise use. It is organized by the CEAEs to create awareness in the community.

Cultural functions

Every year during the November full moon, the people of Orissa celebrate a boat sailing festival.   This festival includes the worshiping of boats and the commemoration of the sailing prowess of those sailors who brought prosperity to these shores by braving the open seas.   Over the course of time, people forgot about this aspect of their culture and the observance of this festival, declined. CEAE has successfully revived this observance in the project area with an aim to promote the cultural aspects of wetlands as a tool to ensure their conservation and management. This year, a decorated boat with offerings was made, a folk play was staged and a regatta comprising of local youths circled a part of the lagoon, which was watched by a crowd of 20000 villagers.

Study camps

The aim of this study camp was to organise an exposure visit for a batch of children along with teachers, facilitators and team leaders to create awareness regarding the lagoon. Regional Science Centres, Planetariums, Historical hills, the State Museum, the Zoo and the Botanical Garden were the places where the teams camped to enhance their knowledge on nature, animals, plants, hill eco systems, etc. Knowledge regarding historical monuments, land ecology, zoology and biological diversity were other aspects that were studied as part of this visit. In the planetarium they explored the skies with the help of the telescope, which provided both a fascinating and learning experience for them. They also learnt about the composition and extent of the atmosphere, the orientation and the movement of the planets etc.

Wall paintings

Wall paintings have also played a major role in raising local awareness. For out reach programmes, wall paintings have been found to be very powerful as tools of communication. They attract the attention of the people and serve to sensitise them on important issues like Chilika's environment. A major thrust is given to the visuals especially the colourful paintings with small and catchy slogans. Specific themes depicting the lagoon environment have also been painted at prominent and strategic places in villages.

Nature trail

The aim of this programme was to provide facilities to the local communities - students, stakeholders, tourists and visitors to walk around a place and enjoy the view of the lagoon, appreciate the eco-system and its scenery. Under this nature trail programme, plantation of coconut palms, stumps of banyan trees and lily plants have been done all along the path and nearby open areas. Seating arrangements have been provided, from village Satapada to Alupatna on the banks of the Lagoon. Due to the influence of the CEAE and CEE, the students of the school in Satapada have organised an eco-club in their school, which takes care of the plantations and the nature trail.

Organising Boat Rally

Each CEAE with the village community organises a boat rally and the villagers are encouraged to take part in the boat rally carrying with them a message of conservation of bio-diversity, the eco-system, and the wise use of the lagoon's resources. Every year, the themes are different but the objective of the rally rallies around the main theme, which is ”Save Chilika”.

Observation of WWD

As we know, World Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on 2 nd February and it is an opportunity to enlighten the world community about the importance of biodiversity as well as the value and functions of wetlands. A large group takes part in a boat regatta in Chilika and they carry banners displaying messages on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management, pollution control and wise use practices in the lagoon.

With so many activities being carried out in the past few years on a regular basis, a dramatic change in the attitude has been noticed. The community has been very receptive and has given   good support to the NGOs. They have been responding positively to the steps taken by the NGOs by helping them collect information about the lagoon and disseminating it. The following changes have been noticed in the villages.

•  Use of small mesh size nets has been reduced from target villages.

•  Poaching of prawn juveniles has been significantly reduced.

•  Smaller sized fish, prawn   and crabs are being released after capture so that they mature to reproductive age.  

•  Stakeholders are lobbying with the government to plant trees on lagoon embankments.

•  Implementation of wise use practices is now being commonly discussed at all levels in the target communities.

•  Formation of Bird Protection Sanghs has resulted in significant reduction of poaching of birds in the

    Lagoon.

•  Use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has reduced to a great extent in agricultural fields in the Lagoon.

•  Women of the fishermen community have been empowered to organise meetings on environmental

    education and conservation.

Though there have been steps taken in this regard and change in the mindset has been noticed visibly, there are many areas and issues which still need to be addressed. An important issue, which still is a matter of concern amongst the officials and the facilitators is the issue of waste management in the villages surrounding the lake. There are also many other issues, which still need to be addressed like:

•  Taking up various appropriate technologies and imparting training to the stakeholders to reduce   pressure on the lagoon.

•  Forming   BIRD PROTECTION SANGHs in the villages involving the local youth.

•  Undertaking awareness programmes for the fisher folk against use of zero-net and poaching of juveniles.

•  Education and awareness on the biodiversity of Chilika, especially rare, threatened and endangered species through wall paintings, street theaters and village meetings.

•  Education of the farmers against the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

•  Change attitudes and practices and create facilities for garbage management in the villages and in tourist   spots.

Tamil Nadu

CEE Tamil Nadu is involved with creating environmental awareness about various issues, one of which is water management and conservation of aquatic eco-systems.

The first set of activities were initiated by the Tirupur field office through a project called “Our River Noyyal” which was aimed at creating awareness about river Noyyal that flows through the towns of Coimbatore and Tirupur before joining the river Cauvery. Forty Schools from Coimbatore District were selected for the project. Through a year long study, these students looked at different aspects of the river, namely: chemical analysis of the water (COD, BOD, hardness, pH, temperature, odour and colour), Biological Diversity, History, Geography and Socio-economic aspects. The activities and tests were monitored with the help of experts in the field and a report was presented to the District Collector documenting the status of the river Noyyal in Coimbatore District. Many stories from the district were collected about the River and released as a small story book for children.

Working on the River Noyyal, whose main pollution comes from the industry in Tirupur, a Cleaner Production project for ten industries was undertaken and this six month long project yielded opportunities for energy, water and chemical audits in the units selected. A report has been produced and circulated amongst the industrialists in Tirupur.

Valankulam is a lake, which is fed by the river Noyyal. CEE is presently working for preventing the   destruction of the lake.   The main problems of this lake are: dumping of garbage from the town, draining of sewage and sullage from parts of the city, industrial water from transport depots, also find their way into the lake and human settlements on the banks of the lake. CEE is putting together a project proposal for funding through leading industries in Coimbatore who wish to adopt the lake and conserve it.

Kodaikanal

This famous lake is the recipient of all the town's sewage and sullage. Increasing number of hotels in Kodaikanal have result in increase amounts of untreated sewage flowing into the lake, causing eutrophication. Through our project in Kodaikanal, we aim to create awareness about the importance of the lake as an ecosystem, work to reduce waste and sewage load by encouraging composting, reusing resources and building effluent treatment plants.

Point Calimere

Whereas all the above projects deal with fresh water systems, the Point Calimere project of CEE Tamil Nadu deals with the marine ecosystem. Changing patterns of bird habitation and feeding due to excess marine pollution from salt and chemical industries situated in Vedaranyam and Nagapattinam are our main focus. CEE is working to create environmental awareness about the importance of the sanctuary and the birds amongst the local residents of the area. This is to motivate them to become a pressure group for protecting this fragile ecosystem against increasing industrialisation and erosion in the area.

1. Environment of Chilika, Pallishree, Bhubaneswar, 1998

2. Chilika - A Ramsar Site, Chilika Development Authority, Bhubaneswar, 1999

3. A new Lease of Life - Chilika, Chilika Development Authority, Bhubaneswar, 1999

4. Conserving the river front of my town, Centre for Environment Education, January 2000

5. Our River Noyyal, Centre for Environment Education, Tamil Nadu office, Coimbatore,           

    March 1999

Centre for Environment Education,
Bangalore, Karnataka, India.