Kollam: Ashramam in Kollam will soon become the first biodiversity heritage site in the state.
The 200 hectares adjacent to the ring road is home to mangrove forests, a historic guesthouse, and the Ashramam ground.
The state government took the initiative considering the three-decades-long fight by taxonomist N. Ravi to preserve the mangrove vegetation and the studies of Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP).
A high-level meeting led by fisheries minister J. Mercykkutty Amma has selected a 12-member expert panel to prepare a detailed report to support the move.
The Biodiversity Board will emphasise on the environmental importance of Ashtamudi Lake at its origin, protection of mangrove forest belt, prevention of pollution, and improving living standards.
The biodiversity management committee in Kollam will be in charge of preparation of conservation project and its execution. The final decision will be made after notifying and seeking public opinion.
According to the KSSP studies, the Ashramam mangrove region and the associated watershed area are home to 15 species of mangroves, 22 supporting mangroves species, 122 species of plants, 34 edible fishes, and 62 species of birds.
Over 160 species of rare and endangered species of plants were found here.
The committee had forwarded a recommendation to the Biodiversity Board through the Kollam Corporation in October 2014 as a reply to its query in 2012.
The water gateway end of the Ashtamudi Lake in the city was once rich with mangrove vegetation extensively destructed for the link road connecting Ashramam and the National Highway in the 1960s.
The forest has been narrowed down to a mere length of one kilometre with a width varying from 20 to 50 metres along the banks of the Lake owing to human intervention.
The construction of a godown in front of the new hockey stadium and the adventure park constituted most of the destruction of the rare vegetation.
