A project to raise mangroves along the State’s coastline will be launched soon. A pilot project is to be taken up in Alappuzha under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The project is part of a government strategy to mitigate the impact of climate change that has posed threat to ecosystems. WWF studies have established that mangroves form a buffer between land and waterbodies, offering a physical barrier against rising seas and disasters such as storm surges and tsunami. The leaves falling from the mangrove trees decay in water and provide ideal medium for growth of various kinds of fish. The mangroves root system is a habitat for crab, shrimp, and molluscs. It provides a natural nursery for juvenile fish and can trap sediments flowing down rivers, helping to reduce coastal erosion. Nesting sites Mangrove forests offer sites for nesting and attract migratory birds. Mangroves are known for saltwater resistance and grow in brackish water along coastlines and estuaries. They exhibit tangled mass of roots. Some of the roots exist above water level, resembling vertical branches and perform the role of aerating agents. The pilot programme envisages planting of mangroves along the coast stretching from Arookutty to Oachira and on the banks of lakes and rivers threatened by erosion. The project has been sanctioned under the MGNREGS, P.V.K.K. Panikker, chief organiser of the project, told The Hindu . The government has given permission to raise mangrove nurseries on public land and school compounds. The plantation programme will be taken up at the panchayat level. Mr.Panikker, who was associated with a mangrove plantation project in the Andaman and Nicobar islands for over a decade, said workers would have to be trained in planting and protecting plants. He had submitted a project report to the government a few years ago, but it could not be taken up due to paucity of funds. The project was being implemented in a revamped form now. Mangroves have been raised in over 600 sq km in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The mangroves in the islands are considered the best in terms of growth and density, according to him.