Karwar gets ready to receive eco-tourists

Karwar: You might have seen them only in Hollywood films where the adventurous hero goes in search of his lost son or a lost love sailing on small paddling canoe in murky waters covered with thick foliage. It is not a scene from 'Anaconda' or 'Emerald Forest' we are talking about but Karwar, the coastal town which is Karnataka's answer for " God's Own Country," that is fast developing into a mangrove tourist centre in the country.

Yes, the first Mangrove (Kandla) tourist centre has come up on the estuary of the Kali River near Sadashivgadh, where the river meets the Arabian Sea. It will be opened to tourists shortly.

"Mangroves are one of the most important features of the coastal ecosystem; their intertwined network of roots is not only a breeding center for many varieties of marine and river fish but also a green wall against the onslaught of a tsunami," senior Forest Service officials told an exclusive tour group of the facility. "These are just a few facts about mangroves; this new Mangrove eco-tourism centre will assist researchers in learning more about this wonderful plant species."

Mangrove tourism is best used by foreign tourists; they love to waddle in stomach-level water or even use a small hand-paddled canoe. They spend hours roaming around. "There are thousands of acres of mangrove forests, but all of them cannot be visited by tourists or by researchers for many reasons. First, they are too eco-sensitive to allow a large number of people for whatever reason to wander around, they might damage them or disturb the sensitive fish breeding process."

But to keep the secrets and pleasures of mangrove forests from the tourism circle was also a crime. We do not yet know what surprises the Mangrove eco-tourism centre may throw out. "We are not concentrating on developing this as the finest mangrove eco-tourism centre," the officials said.

The Forest Department had an island just a boat ride away from Sadashivgadh, where the department had planted mangroves some years back, There is a Kali Mata temple atop the island, where thousands of devotees go every year for the annual fair. The fishermen consider it a 'Devara Kadu' (sacred grove), and they are now happy that the forest has been regenerated.

"The last generation of fishermen knows the importance of mangroves, and they have made efforts to regenerate the forest, but due to a lack of knowledge and resources, it could not be done." "Mangrove is sacred in their community, in their community," said Vishnu Sawant Bhonsle the chief of the temple.

Since this is the first organised mangrove eco tourist centre Forest department has taken steps to put out the message across the World Wide Web. " A jetty to land the boats and a welcome arch will also be constructed in non-concrete materials, a boat from the forest guest house will also be plying to the island in regular intervals"

The district biosciences expert says that "there are many types of mangrove plants that are endemic to the western coast for the benefit of those tourists and researchers sign boards giving their generic names will be displayed. A handbook on mangroves was also on the cards".