Wetland Resources of Northern Kerala: A Case Study of Pazhayangadi and Kunhimangalam in Kannur District                                                     

Nalini Nayak, D. Nandakumar, M. Amruth, P. Unnikrishnan, T. P. Padmanabhan*

 Based on these premises the present study has the following objectives:

1.   Generation of baseline data on the wetlands of Kannur and discussion of the  possible strategies for their sustainable utilisation;

2.    Assessment of  the extent of wetland destruction caused by infrastructure development;

3.    Review of  the major resource use systems and subsistence patterns  in the study area;

4.    Assessment of the ecological status of the resource base as perceived by the community subsisting on it;

5.    Analysis of population growth as a factor of depletion of the resource base; and

6.    Dissemination of the findings of the study among local bodies and groups. 

      The problematique of sustaining the wetlands while facilitating the development of the people who inhabit the area is complex one.  It is clear from this study that the wetlands of Kannur district do still retain many of their basic characteristics though they are in the process of being transformed and destroyed.  Whereas it is important to exploit the wetlands in a logical way and on a sustainable, not investors who come in from outside to exploit the resources of the wetlands.

The interviews with the local people that still earn their livelihood from the resources of the wetlands have shown that 40 per cent of the people belonging to the different communities are keenly conscious of the interdependence of man and his environment and that their livelihood patterns not only blend harmoniously with the ecosystem but also that they utilize the various resources prudently and self-reliantly i.e., without dependence on inputs from outside.  In fact, the waters that provide fish - protein, the kaippadu that provides the grain - starch and calories, the vegetation that provide the vitamins, be they from the sedge grass kavarikka or the parippu from the avicenia or other vegetables like gourds etc. that grow easily in the wetlands, cows that feed on the hay or sedge grass which in their turn provide milk and manure, the wood for fuel and the honey that mangroves give - are all intrinsic links in the chain of interdependence. Understanding these interlinkages and creating supportive systems that will sustain them should be the focus of development activity. For this, both a clear perspective and a management system that ensures participation as well as regulation of the use of the resources are of vital importance.  It is clear that families, which earlier sustained themselves on agricultural labour, supplemented with mat making or fishing were able to send their children to schools and colleges. The children have grown up and joined the ranks of the educated unemployed or are in the search for work in the construction industry. This is because kaippadu cultivation has dwindled. Had the government come up with a scheme to procure kaippadu rice at remunerative rates, this disaster could have been averted.  In fact, rice, which is organically grown, fetches a higher price in the market whereas payment in kind to the local labour would have assured them of direct access to grain for consumption. The dysfunction of the weirs is also a sign of the lack of political commitment to the preservation of resource base on a sustainable basis. Enacting and effectively implementing fishing regulations to manage the fishery is another important responsibility that the government has to undertake.  All those who now do fishing complain of decreasing catches indicating that fishing effort per unit catch has increased.  This is because of the increased dependence on fishing in the limited water bodies in the area for a livelihood and increase in the use of modern, destruction, gears.  The stake and gill nets unless regulated both in terms of mesh size, total size and time of use, may lead to over-exploitation and progressive depletion of the stock, particularly by catching the juveniles. Controlling the entry to the fishery by a system of licences to the local people may also lead to better control of effort and shared fishing days, provided prices of fish are also maintained at remunerative levels.

Traditional shrimp culture in the kaippadu lands should also be encouraged. Assisting the local people with the funds to undertake this activity collectively should be the concern of the BFFDA.  Panchayat lands should not be leased out to investors from outside for modern shrimp farming. In fact, as modern shrimp farming is a threat to the water quality at large, it should be firmly discouraged by imposing heavy local taxes on those who undertake it in their private lands.  It should be mandatory that all modern shrimp farms purify the water before they let it out into the common water body.

To make a beginning, the panchayats should launch a food for work programme, similar employment programmes to encourage rice-cum shrimp cultivation in the wetlands. It should make sure that none of the existing old growth mangroves are destroyed; the endeavor should rather be to replant good varieties of local specific mangrove species.  Honey production should also be encouraged.

 The raw material for weaving mats and kuriyas should be made available to people and this resource has to be enriched by planting. Local women should be assisted to obtain the common lands (owned by the railways and the state) where screw pines are grow, on lease at low rates so the lesseels get they have access to the leaves.  The young generation may be trained to make artistic handicrafts from the screw pine, which will find a ready market in urban areas and fetch handsome prices.

In our study a pioneering attempt was made to look into the present mode of resource use and the biophysical changes taking place in the study area. Our research findings were discussed with a group of stakeholders of the local resources in two workshops.

The deliberations at the workshops have brought forth in several constructive suggestions, as summarised below:

1. Since the local population, the panchayat members and the bureaucrats are ignorant of the importance of the basic ecological processes and their role in ensuring livelihood, a detailed and effective resource literacy programme needs to be planned and implemented.

2. A training programme for artificial regeneration of mangrove localities has to be planned for bringing back mangroves and restoring the wetland productivity of the wetlands.

3. An open debate on the development and environment needs to be carried out at the ward level by actively involving the panchayat functionaries.

4. A series of workshops on the existing laws for coastal protection and conservation need to be conducted

5. Publication of small handouts for public in general and students in particular on local resources and environment is essential.

6. A thorough analysis of existing policies on natural resource management needs to be carried out

7. Possibilities of setting up local co-operatives for supplying raw materials, and procuring and marketing products, especially in the traditional sector, need to be explored.

The panchayat bodies need to understand problems and issues on hand and respond adequately to the crises rather than adopt a piece-meal approach to their solution. Given the resources that wetlands possess -both obvious and not-so-obvious resources of infinite value, state should discourage investments in the infrastructure sector of a kind that cause loss of wetlands as the net benefit from such investments will at last be meagre.  The panchayats, therefore, need to survey and document the wetlands within their jurisdictions and make assessment of the their economic value and the contribution they make to the welfare of the society as a whole in general, and the people who are immediately dependent on the wetlands in particular.  Another benefit for the panchayats from such an exercise would be that they could determine whether some of the wetland areas need to be demarcated for long-term protection (such areas as mangrove forests) or for controlled use.  They may even consider alternative uses of wetlands with minimum adverse impact on their quality and extent. Probably, the foremost task of the panchayats in this regard would be to identify in their own familiar milieu the manners in which and the areas where wetland loss is taking place and to plan to counter it. The local bodies have to take stringent measures to prevent the currently accepted but wasteful land use and management practices. Wherever essential, eco-restoration methods should be adopted, for it this method that protects and nurses back to health the life support systems and processes in mismanaged and misused areas.

* Nalini Nayak is an activist working among the fisheries community in Kerala. D. Nandakumar is Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography in University College, Thiruvananthapuram. M. Amruth is an independent researcher in the field of ecology. P. Unnikrishnan has been active in the field of environmental education.T. P. Padmanabhan is an environmental activist and the president of SEEK, Kannur.