Around 3,600 species of fauna and flora have been identified in the Gulf, which contains three different ecosystems -- sea grass, mangrove and coral reef. The shallow waters in the area have the highest concentration of sea grass species in India. These meadows support complex ecological communities that provide habitat for endangered dugongs and marine turtles; as well as innumerable fish, seahorse, molluscs and crustaceans that also feed here. The sheltered Mannar Gulf, free from oceanic currents, provides calving grounds for a substantial part of the highly diverse whale population of the Bay of Bengal.

The Gulf of Mannar is now threatened by the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) which will dig an ocean shipping channel to link the shallow waters of the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar. In 2005 the Government of India approved the multi-million dollar project, which will dredge the shallow ocean floor to create enough leeway allowing ships to pass through the channel instead of having to go around the island of Sri Lanka.

Opponents of the project express serious concerns over the flawed Environmental Impact Assessments that has not taken into account the devastating impacts to marine life while simultaneously ignoring critical environmental and humanitarian issues, including the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in the region. Were the project to proceed, it would alter the ecology of the region, destroy traditional livelihoods and would challenge the survival of numerous endangered species.

The Campaign
A growing number of environmental and cultural organizations from across the globe are coming together to promote an unprecedented international campaign calling for permanent cancellation of the SSCP and to have the Gulf of Mannar designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In November 2008, the groups will be meeting for the "Gulf of Mannar International Meeting" in London to provide a forum for The Gulf of Mannar, and formulate a hard hitting, ambitious campaign for its total protection.

Setting aside the Gulf of Mannar as a World Heritage Site would preserve in perpetuity its unique, fragile and diverse ecosystems, habitats and communities of flora and fauna, as well as areas of Indian cultural significance. World Heritage Site status would provide additional safeguards for religious and cultural sites and give a protective buffer around the Gulf of Mannar, safeguarding the foraging grounds of the marine life it sustains.

Findings, conclusions and action plans resulting from the international meeting will contribute directly to an effort to designate the Gulf of Mannar as an UNESCO World Heritage mixed Natural and Cultural site. Organizers include Peter Bunyard, UK; Living Planet Foundation, USA; Rainforest Rescue International (RRI), Sri Lanka; Both Ends, The Netherlands; GHRD, The Netherlands; Rainforest Concern, UK; Ecological Internet, USA; Norwich International Consultants (NIC), Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Facts
Environmental/Ecological/Marine Life/ Migratory Birds
The Gulf of Mannar is one of the richest zones of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean region. The area has a diversity of ecosystems, species and genes, and habitats. It boasts large sea grass meadows, an essential habitat for the endangered Green Turtle and for the Dugong; Coral islets, that boast of the highest diversity of coral fish and sea snakes in the Indian ocean; and limestone reefs that form the fabled Pearl oyster beds.

Productive fringing and the patchy coral reef surrounding the Gulf of Mannar islands are comprised of at least 91 species of coral species. This region is also home to over 450 species of fish, 79 species of crustaceans, 108 species of sponges, 260 species of mollusks and 100 species of echinoderms. Eleven species of sea grass recorded in India are found in the reserve, three of which are found nowhere else. The same shallow waters are also known to have at least 147 species of marine algae (seaweed).

The sheltered gulf, free from oceanic currents, forms the calving grounds for a greater part of the highly diverse whale population of the Bay of Bengal. It is the source of the chank fishery that supplies conches for ritual use through the subcontinent and Sri Lanka. It also provides much of northern Sri Lanka and South Eastern India with its fish. There are serious concerns that carbon dioxide will be released by disruption of the Miocene limestone base and freshwater aquifers that lie within the region's limestone cavities.

The islands and the sandbanks in the region are a regular stopover for migratory birds traveling between North Indian habitats and Sri Lanka. Nearly 180 bird types find habitat or seasonal resting grounds here. Lesser Sand Piper, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint are found here in abundance. Rare birds like Red Knot, Eastern Knot, Crab Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwit, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Dunlin, Long-toed Stint and Redneck Phalarope are regular seasonal visitors. Little Tern, Kentish Plover, Stone Plover, Stone Curlew, Lesser-crested Sterna, etc; fly long distances to specifically come here for breeding. Thousands of Larger flamingos migrate here to spend winters. The wetlands and marshes of the region support highly vulnerable species like Spoonbill Sandpiper and Grey Pelican both of which are on the red list of endangered species.

Adam's Bridge as a Breakwater
Adam's Bridge separates two distinct marine systems - the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay - making them almost completely secluded and nearly isolated, resembling two huge lagoons, existing side by side. Adam's Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals, which appear during low tide as a narrow ridge of mostly dry sand and rocks that connects Rameshwaram in Southeastern India to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. At high tide it is covered by about 4 ft (1.2 m) of water.

By acting as a breakwater, Adam's Bridge induces a certain stillness and calm to the Gulf of Mannar. The Gulf of Mannar, including the Palk Bay and Palk Strait, is a major sedimentation sink for the East coast. Indian and Sri Lankan Rivers and long shore currents bring sedimentation, which Adam's Bridge causes to sink. This natural breakwater also forces ocean currents the longer way around Sri Lanka. Adam's Bridge's role in circulation of ocean currents has provided the nutrients that make the area's remarkable marine ecosystems possible.

Should Adam's Bridge be breached, the shallow silted waters of the Palk Bay will flow into the Gulf of Mannar, destroying its fragile ecosystem. Breaching Adam's Bridge would also impact the meadows of sea grass in Palk Bay, which are home to a large number of fish species and the rare dugong or sea cow. Adam's Bridge has also been a natural barrier to shipping activity in the region, and therefore unlike seas anywhere else in the world, the local marine life has been nearly untouched by shipping lane impacts. The opening up of this area as a shipping corridor will cause many well-established negative effects on terrestrial and aquatic systems.

Human Livelihood
The fishermen of both India and Sri Lanka stand to lose their livelihood if the SSCP is allowed to proceed. Hundreds of fishing villages and thousands of fishermen depend heavily on the fishery resources of the Gulf of Mannar for their livelihood. The lives of the traditional fisher folk, who are already fighting a losing battle against the giant commercial fishing industry that has intruded into their territory with mechanized equipment, would be completely disrupted. On the Sri Lankan side, the war weary people would have another horror thrust upon their lives, as fertile fishing grounds would be totally destroyed.

Affects on Agriculture
Sri Lankan scientists point out to the potential damage dredging could have on the precious freshwater resources of the dry Jaffna peninsula. Dredging of Palk Strait would have a catastrophic effect on the water table, increasing the salinity content of the drinking and irrigational water. This would have a drastic economic impact destroying the livelihood of many farmers. These negative impacts would have a serious effect on the production of food, and marine products, thereby impacting the GDP of the country as well as increasing the unemployment in the region.

Project Economics
A major aim of the proposed SSCP is to save ship time, fuel and transport costs. Critics say that it is unlikely to remain on budget, because the costs of dredging (its primary expense) have been grossly underestimated. The revenues, too, may be less than the scale that is being projected. The canal's limited depth will allow only ships with a draught of 10 meters or less. This constraint is critical. Revenue from these ships was supposed to provide two-thirds of the canal's income. Iff the industry pushes for deepening the canal it would become even more economically and environmentally unviable.

Damage due to Marine Accidents/Cyclones/General Pollution
Indian Mariners refer to the Tamil Nadu coast between Rameshwaram and Cuddalore as the "cyclone coast". The weather in the region is prone to severe cyclones and storms and would be highly conducive to shipping hazards such as straying, grounding, or collisions resulting in oil spill disasters. Maritime accidents due to other causes such as shallowness or narrowness of the shipping passage, close proximity of reefs, terrorist attack and sabotage are distinct possibilities and pose serious concerns.

The area's marine environment is already under severe stress due to increasing number of industries on the coast. Some of these like the Tuticorin Thermal Power Station and the Dhrangadhra Chemical and Tuticorin Salt Marine Chemicals have been discharging ash and effluents, thus adversely affecting the sea grasses and coral ecosystems in the vicinity.

Cultural /Religious Perspective
Adam's Bridge is an ancient monument held sacred by millions of Hindus around the world who look upon Adam's Bridge as Ram Sethu - a sacred symbol of their faith, heritage and history. Ram Sethu's historical antiquity goes back several millennia. Marine archaeological research is demonstrating the existence of a great number of drowned cities and temples, suggesting that these waters overlie the lost land of Kumari Kandam, the source of much of the literary and spiritual origins of the people of the region (more below).

Defiance of Global Conventions/Local Laws
The SSCP is being pursued in defiance of global conventions such as the UNEP/CMS, Convention on Biological Diversity and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. A group of 'developers' have initiated the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) without any public consultation or reference to neighboring Sri Lanka that will be affected by the project. Dredging activity will result in a permanent loss of corals, sea fans, sponges, pearl oysters, mollusks and sea cucumbers along the canal, all of which are protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Corals are Schedule-I species, which means the Indian government accords them the same protected status as tigers.

Security Concerns
No security analysis was conducted before the project was launched and the concerns of the navy and coast guard were not taken into consideration. The Indian Coast Guard director believes the channel is a security risk and the security experts note that terrorist organizations are allying with pirates, and turning their attention to narrow strait channels, where ships are most vulnerable.

"Terrorists want to attack ships plying through narrow straits. Something that can close the channel down for months. Since the Sethu-samudram channel project is creating another narrow channel through the Palk Strait, it can be a potential target and is bound to interest terrorist organizations," said B. Raman, former head of counter terrorism at India's intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing.