THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The conservation and protection of the three Ramsar sites in the state - Sasthamkotta Lake and Ashtamudi Wetland of Kollam and Vembanad- Kol Wetland - will get a fillip as the State Wetland Authority (SWAK) has decided to prepare scientific documentary films on them. While the authority has been entrusted with the responsibility of finding a competitive agency for producing the films via inviting tender, the government has sanctioned an amount of `15 lakh for the said initiative.
“It was during the governing body meeting of SWAK, chaired by the Chief Minister on February 15 the decision to produce the scientific documentation film on the three sites has been taken. The tenderer who will be awarded the work will have to prepare the films separately,” said an officer with the Environment Department.
In a tender document floated by the SWAK on March 16, it has been stated the documentary films will not only have to cover all baseline information and features of the three Ramsar sites but also should portray the problems it is facing. The films are also expected to speak about the different aspects of the proposed management action plan, restoration efforts that have been carried out and different stages of interventions it received from time to time.
According to a source, the government sanctioned Rs 2.37 crore for undertaking various activities including the production of a documentary film on Munroe Island, which is reportedly facing subsidence; a special package for the island; erection of signboards along the three Ramsar sites and for various awareness activities for the conservation of wetlands.
“An amount of Rs 15 lakh has been sanctioned for preparing the documentary on Munroe Island whereas `75 lakh has been sanctioned for the project related to its rejuvenation. Under the sanctioned amount, a study on the carrying capacity of houseboats will also be taken up. For this `40 lakh has been earmarked,” said the source.
What’s a Ramsar site?
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Convention on Wetlands, or Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, and enforced in 1975. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed