CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department's ambitious goal of expanding the mangrove cover in the state yielded encouraging results, with the area doubling in three years, from 4,500 hectares in 2021 to 9,039 hectares in 2024, a forest official said on Tuesday.

Chennai's Adyar Estuary, which is part of the success story, now sports a lush green look, he told PTI.

The new mangrove green belt in the heart of the city at Adyar was created under the Tamil Nadu Mangrove Mission, an initiative of the state's Green Tamil Nadu Mission, to plant and restore mangrove forests in nine coastal districts, the official added.

According to him, the primary goal is to create natural bio-shields to protect coastal communities from natural disasters like cyclones and tsunamis. The move also supports the livelihood of the locals by providing fish breeding grounds and boosting biodiversity, he said.

Meanwhile, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, said that her department has planted 5,000 mangrove saplings across 5 hectares, adding a shining green jewel to the city's biodiversity heritage.

"At the Adyar Estuary near Broken Bridge, the Chennai Forest Division has created a fishbone with three main canals and 62 distribution canals across the Battle of Adyar Island. To protect these from grazing 582 metres of fish nets and even used sarees have been fixed as barriers," she said in a social media post.

This initiative would contribute to shielding Chennai's coast from cyclones and sea-level rise, Sahu added.

Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Mangrove Conclave 2025 which begins today in Mahabalipuram, the forest department brought out a video on the breathtaking Picchavvaram Mangrove Forests in Cuddalore district.

Organised by the Tamil Nadu government, the conclave will be inaugurated by Forests Minister R S Rajakannappan. Delegates from six states would participate in the event in which besides Sahu, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Srinivas R Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, and other senior officials will participate.