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- The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park authorities have rejected the National Centre for Coastal Research’s (NCCR) proposal of using the Gulf of Mannar region for field tests.
- NCCR had proposed dropping ‘melted plastic rocks or slabs’ on the seabed for growing coral reefs and address the problem of disposal of plastic waste.
- The proposal has been rejected on the grounds that corals in the GoM were already stressed and bleached under climate change and field testing would further destroy the existing coral reef colonies.
- The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area consisting of 21 small islands and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. It lies off the east coast of Tamil Nadu. It is the core area of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
- In India, coral rehabilitation was first initiated in Tuticorin coast of Gulf of Mannar in 2002 by Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) with the support from Ministry of Environment and Forests and Coral reef Degradation in Indian Ocean (CORDIO).
- In India, coral reefs are located in 7 regions: Goa coast, Kerala coast, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kucch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep islands, Andaman and Nicobar islands.
