The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has 1,076 kilometers of coastline, or 14.3% of the nation’s total coastline, and is one of only 36 biodiversity hotspots (areas of high biodiversity that are in danger of being destroyed by humans) in the world, and is home to a rich and diverse ecosystem. Such diverse ecosystems are found only in the area of the country. These diverse ecosystems have provided the local population with a wide variety of ecosystem service benefits, including the provision of forest and fishery resources, wildlife habitat, and tourism resources.
However, the degradation of the state’s ecosystem is progressing: more than 500 species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction, coral reefs are bleaching, seaweed beds are shrinking, and the area covered by mangrove forests has been reduced. The rapid economic development and urbanization of the region has brought human activity areas and wildlife habitats closer together, resulting in increased human-wildlife conflicts, injuries, crop damage, and wildlife deaths. In addition, the effects of climate change are becoming more apparent in the biodiversity and forest sectors.
This cooperation will contribute to sustainable socio-economic development in the state by addressing climate change (mitigation and adaptation measures) and ecosystem improvement through biodiversity conservation, human-wildlife conflict management, enhancement of the forest products supply chain, livelihood improvement activities, and strengthening the organizational structure of the Forestry Department.
© Source JICA