Introduction

The Gulf of Mannar located on the southeastern tip of India in the state of Tamil Nadu is one of South Asia's largest biosphere reserves. It is the first marine area in India to be declared as World Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Program. It is also the last refuge for a unique set of ecosystems that include coral reefs, sea grass beds, wetlands and oyster beds, all maintained by a thin ridge that connects Sri Lanka to India. This geologic feature known as Adams Bridge or Ram Sethu, acts as a breakwater wall to protect the shallow seas of the Gulf of Mannar. Seen from space, it appears as a thread linking the two countries. To cut this thread, sacred to many millions will bring great misfortune, not only for the invaluable biodiversity of the Gulf by muddying the pristine, clear waters but also to the humans who live in the region by destroying the fisheries and salinating the fresh water wells of the area. And that is not all. There is increasing evidence that the sheltered Gulf, free from oceanic currents, also provides the calving grounds for a substantial part of the highly diverse whale population of the Bay of Bengal.

The Gulf of Mannar is known as an outstanding example of on-going geological processes, which provide the habitats of rare and endangered plant and animal species, and not least the Green Turtle and the Dugong. Around 3,600 species of fauna and flora have been identified in the Gulf of Mannar, which comprises of 3 different ecosystems - Sea grass, Mangrove and Coral Reef. The shallow waters in the area have the highest concentration of sea grass species along India's 7,500 km coastline. 11 species of sea grass recorded in India are found in the reserve. The islands surrounding shallow waters harbors 3 species of seagrass that are found nowhere else in India. The same shallow waters are also known to have at least 147 species of marine algae (seaweed). These meadows support complex ecological communities and are of global significance as they are among the largest remaining feeding grounds for the globally endangered dugong. Additionally five species of marine turtles, innumerable fish, seahorse, molluscs and crustaceans also feed here.

Culturally, too, it is an extremely important region, where the centuries old pearl and conch shell diving tradition still exists. The Gulf's limestone reefs form an essential habitat for the fabled Pearl oyster beds, which were the source of the fabulous treasures of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

The Gulf of Mannar is now threatened by the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP), which would involve digging a mid-ocean ship channel linking the shallow water of the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar. When completed the project would alter the ecology of the region and challenge the survival of endangered species. Opponents of the project express serious concerns over the flawed Environmental Impact Assessments which, to date, have 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.

Serious concerns such as the amount of Carbon Dioxide that will be released through the disruption of the Miocene limestone base or the disruption of the freshwater aquifers that lie within the limestone cavities of the region have yet to be addressed.

Several Hindu groups in India and across the globe are opposing the alignment which threatens Ram Sethu.

Hindu groups have filed petitions in various courts and the matter has reached the Supreme Court of India. Under the order of the court, the SSCP has been put on a temporary hold. The Indian government is keen to dig the canal and has said there is no scientific evidence to prove the existence of Ram Sethu. The Hindus feel insulted by the Government's response and have responded by staging demonstrations and mass rallies against the government.

As a result of huge opposition to the SSCP, the issue of Ram Sethu is already higher on the media and political agendas in India. The Government has now decided to do a re-think on the SSCP and has given serious consideration to the Supreme Court suggestion of an alternative alignment.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has constituted a six-member experts committee to look at an alternative alignment. This committee, which will examine the possibility of a canal through Rameswaram Island, will also study its impact on culture, environment and law and order. The committee is expected to submit its findings in a few months.

As concerned citizens of the world we feel that our already endangered marine ecosystems are the lifeblood of our planet and it is of grave concern to us that what nature has shaped in the course of billions of years will be destroyed forever if the SSCP is allowed to proceed. The ecology of the Gulf of Mannar and its significance as an ancient pilgrimage site are a heritage for the whole of humanity.

Our aim is to have the Gulf of Mannar, recognized as a World Heritage Site under the criteria specified by the United Nations. We are urging the Government of India to take steps to petition the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to declare the Gulf of Mannar a World Heritage Site.

Gulf of Mannar as a UNESCO World Heritage mixed natural and cultural site.

The area 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 seagrasses and coral ecosystem in the vicinity. Moreover, Biosphere Reserves are protected areas representative of a unique environment and are internationally recognised under UNESCO MAB Programme (Man and Biosphere) for their value in Conservation and Management of Natural resources through scientific research and monitoring to support sustainable development of resources. One of the major threats to the reserve is the Sethu Samudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) on the coast of Tamil Nadu.

To recognize the extreme danger of extinction currently facing the dugongs and the turtles , and to act to avoid extinction and begin the process of recovery, the Campaign promoters requests that the SSCP is scrapped and the Gulf of Mannar is recognized as a World Heritage Site under the criteria laid down by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Gulf of Mannar must be nominated for both its cultural and natural resources. Most Indians view the Gulf of Mannar and Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) as integral parts of their culture and as deeply spiritual locations. Physical remnants of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge), and oral and written accounts provide evidence of the cultural and religious significance of the Gulf of Mannar and surrounding region as a place of worship by Hindus.

When the Government of India set aside this unique marine environmental ecosystem as South Asia's largest marine protected area in 1989 it was in recognition of the value of preserving one of the world's few remaining pristine natural areas. The designation of World Heritage Site will add to that distinction.

Typically World Heritage Sites are natural resources or cultural resources, or a combination. India's application will be as a combination, because in India the natural resources are also cultural resources. The protection and preservation of this invaluable area is vital in the global campaign to preserve coral reef biodiversity and our environment.

As concerned citizens of the world we are united in the belief we must preserve our natural heritage and safeguard the environment around us for future generations. 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.

Preserving the Gulf of Mannar will be paying dividends for generations to come. It's not just for India, but frankly, for the whole of humanity. It is our sincere belief that the Gulf of Mannar embodies World Heritage and our ideals of stewardship of natural and cultural heritage in an area of international significance. Without a doubt, the Gulf of Mannar is an ideal candidate to become a World Heritage Site.

What is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Program?

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as diverse as the the Prambanan Temples of Java, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Great Wall of China make up our world's heritage.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO IN 1972.
(From the World Heritage Centre)

The Gulf of Mannar - Natural and Cultural Heritage Criteria of Outstanding Universal Value

Cultural Heritage Criteria

A World Heritage Cultural Site is considered to be of outstanding universal value if it bears "a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;...or is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement or land-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change."

The Gulf of Mannar which includes Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) has great cultural and religious significance to the people of India as well as ancient linkages to Hindu traditions of millions of Hindus around the world. Immense archaeological evidence found in the Gulf of Mannar region establishes a close relationship with the Indian culture as well as use of the area for religious purposes. Several sacred sites are known, including temples located along the Gulf of Mannar on the southeastern tip of India which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological and anthropological points of view.

Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) is an ancient monument held sacred by millions of Hindus all around the world. Description of the significance of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) can be found in abundance throughout the literature of Hindu scriptures such as Ramayana. In Puranas, the importance of Sethu is explained in great details, especially in Skanda Purana, Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, and Brahma Purana. The role of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) in providing a historical setting for the Ramayana is also seen in the Rajavali complied about the fourth century AD.

It is important to note that Ramlila, the traditional Indian performances of the Ramayana, was proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity in November 2005 under UNESCO's Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ramlila was selected "for its artistic, historical or anthropological value and for the importance for the cultural identity and sense of continuity of the custodian communities as well as for the cultural diversity of humanity and to raise awareness among the international community as to the value of intangible cultural heritage and the urgent need to act to ensure its transmission".

Natural Heritage Criteria

The Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (GOMMBRE) is the first Marine Biosphere Reserve not only in India, but also in South and Southeast Asia. It is an evolutionary textbook in terms of endemic marine life, fauna and flora and coral reef species. The 10,500 square kilometers of a unique set of ecosystems, coral islands, reefs, banks, and shoals of the Gulf of Mannar is a crown jewel that contains superlative natural phenomena and areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance and it is considered to be one of world's richest marine biological resources and a significant natural habitat for conservation of biological diversity and one of the last remnants of an ecosystem that was once common on this planet.

Around 3,600 species of fauna and flora have been identified in the Gulf of Mannar, which comprises of 3 different ecosystems - Sea grass, Mangrove and Coral Reef. 17 species of mangrove occur within the reserve and act as an important nursery of habitats. The shallow waters in the area have the highest concentration of sea grass species along India's 7,500 km coastline. 11 species of sea grass recorded in India are found in the reserve. The island's surrounding shallow waters harbours 3 species of seagrass that are found nowhere else in India. The same shallow waters are also known to have at least 147 species of marine algae (seaweed). These meadows support complex ecological communities and are of global significance as they are among the largest remaining feeding grounds for the globally endangered dugong. Additionally five species of marine turtles, innumerable fish, seahorse, molluscs and crustaceans also feed here.

Productive fringing and the patchy coral reef surrounding the Gulf of Mannar islands are comprised of at least 91 species of coral reef systems. The islands are used by 168 migratory bird species and the sandy shores of most islands provide a nesting habitat for 5 species of marine turtles. 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. Corals, sea fans, sponges and holothurians found in the Gulf of Mannar are all protected species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Krusadai Island, in Mandapam, exemplifies the biological significance of the Gulf. The fact that close to 3,600 species of plants and animals are natural inhabitants of the Gulf of Mannar make it the biologically richest coastal region in India. It is home to, and provides vital mating and nesting habitat for the endangered species such as whales, dolphins, sea horse, sea snakes and the threatened green sea turtle.

The Gulf of Mannar is an international priority site for many reasons - it's biophysical and ecological uniqueness, economic, social, cultural, scientific importance and national and global significance. It is famous for several indigenous industries such as the centuries old pearl which has been an important part of trade with the Roman Empire as early as the first Century AD. The Gulf of Mannar has an ancient maritime history and continues to be famous for its production of chank (Indian conch) which is unique to India's coastline and not found anywhere else in the world.