INDIA, Mainsh Island, Chilika Lake - January 2006
Mangrove seeds and 170 toilets in exchange for the planting of 40,000 mangroves in a three kilometer belt (totaling 3 acres), and improved village sanitation
Chilika Lake is Asia’s largest brackish lagoon. The Kyabart community on the 766-acre island of Mainsh has no electricity and subsist by fishing collectively. With the assistance of the local organization Jeevan Rekhan Parishad, Seacology will provide the village with 170 toilets. As well, Seacology will provide 40,000 mangrove seedlings, which the villagers will plant in a three-kilometer belt around the island. *
UPDATE June 2006 - In March 2006 the village officially agreed on the area to be protected and Jeevan Rekha, the location organization coordinating the project, sent detailed timelines, a budget, and copies of the agreements to Seacology. Mangrove planting, conservation training and construction of the sanitary facilities are scheduled to take place simultaneously over the course of 2006. The project is expected to be completed by early 2007.
UPDATE January 2007 - In July 2006 Jeevan Rekha, the local organization coordinating the project, purchased materials for the facility construction and mangrove seedlings. They decided to schedule mangrove planting, conservation training and construction of the sanitary facilities simultaneously over the course of 2006 in order to better link the communities’ connection with the new facilities with mangrove conservation. The project is expected to be completed in early 2007.
UPDATE June 2007 - In April 2007 field representative Felix Sugirtharaj visited the project site. 100 of the 170 toilets have been completed, with the remaining 70 scheduled to be completed in late June 2007. Once construction is completed all 1,000 villagers will have access to clean sanitary facilities. Also in late 2006 the villagers established a mangrove nursery and raised and planted 35,000 mangrove seedlings. An additional 3,000 seedlings will be raised in 2007 to complete the planting of the 1.8 mile mangrove belt. The village is now considering selling any additional seedlings to the forest department as an income source to sustain the project in future years.
UPDATE December 2007 - A final report was received in December 2007. All 170 toilets have been completed and the village has set up a mart to construct components of the facilities for other villages as an alternative livelihood source. 31,000 mangrove seedlings were planted between December 2006 and July 2007. 90% of all the plants have survived as of November 2007. Villagers are now selling seedlings to the forest department as a source of income to maintain the nursery and village plantings.
*Support for asterisked projects is provided fully or in part by the
Nu
Skin Enterprises Force for Good Foundation
