Programme Areas

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Wet Land Conservation

Wetlands provide important goods and services which help sustain human life, conserve biological diversity, and combat the impacts of climate change and desertification. Communication, education and public awareness are the tools for placing people's social, political, economic and cultural realities within the context of the goods and services provided by wetland ecosystems.

Arulagam seeks to motivate people to appreciate the values of wetlands so that they become advocates for wetland conservation and wise use and may act to become involved in sustainable management.

Coastal Ecosystem Conservation

"Coastal ecosystem" includes estuaries, coastal waters and lands located at the lower end of drainage basins. The coastal ecosystem includes saline, brackish, fresh waters, coastlines and the adjacent lands. Today, coastal ecosystem faces serious threats from human population growth and the development and disturbance that are often a consequence of growth.

As habitat is degraded, plants and animals suffer population losses that can lead to the need for protection. Arulagam is working to avoid further species declines by enhancing the awareness level among the coastal community and regeneration of mangroves and its associated species in the Tsunami affected coastal belts of Tamilnadu.

Watershed Development and Management

Watershed Management is one of the critical factors for improving agricultural production in the semi arid region of Tamilnadu. The natural resource base on which existence of living beings depend-soil, water and vegetation is under degradation in these semi arid region. Most of the semi-arid regions have concentrations of eroded and degraded natural resources.

Restoring ecological balance and increasing productivity in such region necessitate undertaking all developmental activities on a watershed basis. Conservation of water and checking soil erosion is central to the attainment of economic as well as financial sustainability of dry land and agriculture. Integrated watershed development programme is the major instrument for Arulagam for achieving this goal.

Environmental Education

A clean and healthy environment is essential for the very survival of the human race. A vast country like India faces formidable challenges in the form of exploding population, widespread poverty, recurring natural disasters and a dwindling natural resource base. A majority of the population lives below the poverty line and are illiterate. They depend exclusively on our diminishing natural resource base.

One of the prime objectives of Arulagam is to improve public awareness and understanding of the environment with a view to promoting the conservation and sustainable use of nature and natural resources, leading to a better environment and a better quality of life. For this Arulagam develops innovative programmes and educational material, and builds capacity in the field of education for sustainable development.

Nursery Raising and Tree Planting

Arulagam plays key role for the conservation of native species specifically endangered species. The core idea behind promoting the native species is to regenerate the biodiversity. To achieve this mandate Arulagam established a state of art nursery to propagate indigenous plant species. Last year we produced five laks saplings and distributed through Suguna foundation, Coimbatore.

Restoration of Sacred Groves

Sacred groves in many places are under serious threat due to socio cultural changes in day today life. Arulagam starts to restore the degraded sacred groves in southern Tamil nadu region and also creating awareness among the community and stake holders .

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable. Climate change concerns coupled with high oil prices, peak oil and increasing government support are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization.

It is high time policy makers and power strategists understood the importance of non conventional source of energy. If we can generate more bio gas it will definitely solve the power crisis in our country which in a way will benefit the farmers. Since bio gas is free from pollution it can be tried in a country like India where environmental pollution is so high.

Publications