Thiruvananthapuram: The cabinet meeting held here the other day has approved the amended plan of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) allowing relocation of mangrove forests. Individuals will be able to relocate mangrove forests by paying five-fold the cost required for afforestation. Relocation is only allowed for areas that are less than 5 sq m and which comes under CRZ-2 and CRZ-3 categories. The payment need to be made to mangrove land bank and the process will be supervised by the forest department.

Apparently, the move is in the back of complaints that the presence of small stretches of mangrove forests are restricting activities including development projects. The 50 m buffer zone meant for mangrove vegetation has now been limited for lands owned by the government. Earlier, mangroves that are more than 1,000 sq m were under the ambit of the law. The latest decision is to avoid buffer zone in private party owned lands without considering the width of the vegetation.

The government had constituted a committee to review and suggest amendments to the plan on the basis of CRZ notification. The committee comprises additional chief secretary under Directorate of Environment & Climate Change and experts in the spectrum like PZ Thomas and PB Sahasranaman. The cabinet had approved the suggestions in the report submitted by the committee.

The committee is of the view that relocating small mangrove forests will foster holistic growth and improve marine development and growth of flora.  

The committee in its report also suggested other measures. Pokkali rice fields, watersheds that can influence high tide and agricultural lands will be listed in CRZ-2 and CRZ-3 categories. The coastal panchayats with high population density will be shifted from CRZ-2 to CRZ-3. The number of islands in the state will be ascertained. Regulator, bund and check dams will be built in water resources having high tides to curb salt concentration.