Between December 2024 to January 2025, Commonwealth Alumnus Fredrick Juma Syanya delivered two activities to build awareness of the importance of mangrove conservation in protecting marine wildlife and coastal communities from climate change in Vyapin island, South India.
Fredrick delivered a mangrove conservation workshop and planting programme and a beach clean. Both activities encouraged participatory community involvement to maximise impact within the local community and ensure long term sustainability.
Fredrick Juma Syanya is a fisheries and aquaculture specialist. He is currently pursuing a PhD in fisheries science at School of industrial fisheries, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
His activity promoted the 2024/25 TLP ACEF theme, Save our ocean.
Mangroves of South India
Mangrove ecosystems are critical for coastal protection, fish biodiversity and the livelihoods of fisher communities. In the South Indian state of Kerala, mangroves play a vital role in stabilising shorelines, reducing the impact of storms and serve as breeding ground for numerous aquatic marine species.
According to the Kerela State Department of Forestry report (2022), the total area of mangroves in Kerela is estimated to be around 9 square kilometres. Over the last three decades, Kerela has lost approximately 95% of its mangroves owing to rapid urbanisation, pollution and climate change, directly affecting local fisheries and the livelihoods of local communities.
Mangrove conservation workshop and planting programme
On 4 December 2024, Fredrick organised a mangrove plantation programme to raise awareness of the ecological importance of mangroves and the role of community involvement towards mangrove conservation, biodiversity and fish breeding. The workshop was attended by 85 participants, including fisher communities from Vyapin island, high school students, researchers from Cochin University of Science and Technology, local women groups, and leaders from Elakunnapuzha Gram Panchayat.
Keynote speech by Dr S Sabu
To open the programme, a keynote speech was delivered by Dr S. Sabu and Dr M Harikrishnan, Senior Professor both from School of Industrial Fisheries, Cochin University of science and technology. They emphasised the critical role of mangrove conservation in protecting our oceans, highlighting their importance as breeding grounds for many fish species and crustaceans.
The programme was further supported by two guest speakers from the School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of science and technology, Prof Bijoy Nandan, former Vice Chancellor and Dean, Kannur University and Dr S Sreelekshmi, both mangrove ecology scientists. They delivered technical presentations on the ecological and economic benefits of mangroves and highlighted the role of mangroves in fish breeding and biodiversity. Through their talks, they encouraged the local community to conserve mangroves to support sustainable livelihoods.
Fredrick Juma Syanya felicitating mangrove expert, Mr TP Murukeshan
Other speakers included Mr TP Murukeshan, a Mangrove expert and Mr Swathish Sathyan, local ward member. The speakers fostered a sense of environmental responsibility among local students, fisher communities, and other fisheries stakeholders.
Following the expert talks, special guest, Honourable Smt Rasikala Priyaraj, President of Elakunnapuzha Grama Panchayat, formally opened the mangrove plantation initiative. Community members, special guests, speakers, and volunteers planted 500 mangrove saplings along the Elakunnapuzha shoreline.
As well as the formal talks and mangrove plantation initiative, Fredrick collaborated with five local high schools to deliver a drawing competition under the theme, ‘Save Our Ocean for Future Generations’. The student winners were awarded certificates and mementos during the workshop to encourage youth participation in coastal environmental conservation initiatives.
Beach cleaning programme
Beach cleaning programme
On 14 January 2025, Fredrick delivered the second activity, a community beach clean at Puthuvype Beach in Elakunnapuzha Grama Panchayat, Vyapin Island. The activity was conducted in collaboration with Planet Earth Organisation, Kerala-based NGO in Cochin, Kerala.
The beach-clean engaged around 100 participants, including members of the fishing community, representatives from Planet Earth Organisation and postgraduate students from the School of Industrial Fisheries, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
The activity raised awareness of marine pollution sources and its detrimental effects on coastal communities and marine ecosystems along the Vyapin island shoreline. Fredrick discussed methods of waste segregation, sustainable waste management practices and its importance in maintaining mangrove ecosystems.
The community cleaned over 1.5 km of shoreline, collecting approximately 1 tonne of waste, which was responsibly removed using sustainable waste management practices.
Scaling community engagement efforts
Fredrick conducted pre-and post-activity assessments to measure the level of knowledge of community members before and after the activities.
Feedback gathered indicated that 85% of participants has increased their knowledge of mangrove ecosystems and its role in fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation. 90% of participants expressed willingness to adopt better waste disposal practices following the beach clean.
Through his community engagement, Fredrick has built rapport with key stakeholders and plans to deliver similar mangrove plantation and beach cleaning activities annually by involving more schools, local communities and NGOs.
Along with support from volunteers, Fredrick will conduct long-term monitoring of the mangrove saplings planted to ensure sustainability and assess ecological impact of this activity.
Fredrick Juma Syanya is a 2016 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar from Kenya. He completed a MSc in Sustainable Aquaculture at University of St Andrews.
