A groundbreaking initiative is set to transform coastal protection in Tamil Nadu as village mangrove councils gain direct control over World Bank funding for enhancing coastal ‘bioshields’ through mangrove plantations. This move is part of the extensive Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission, known as TN-SHORE.
Launched in September 2025, TN-SHORE is a monumental ₹1,675-crore project, with roughly ₹1,000 crore contributed by the World Bank and the remaining by the State. Its broad objectives include fortifying Tamil Nadu’s coastal resilience, boosting its economy, and revitalizing 30,000 hectares of seascapes. The mission also aims to protect vulnerable marine life like turtles and dugongs, alongside promoting sustainable practices such as eco-tourism and effective plastic waste management.
At the heart of TN-SHORE’s strategy lies mangrove restoration. To streamline the flow of funds and decentralize financial decision-making, the World Bank’s support will go directly to these village mangrove councils. These councils are formed by local residents, with a community member acting as president and the local Forest Range Officer as the member-secretary, ensuring grassroots involvement and expertise.
Deepak Bilgi, Mission Director for TN-SHORE, confirmed that a comprehensive community procurement plan has been approved by the World Bank. This plan allows for direct allocation of smaller amounts, up to ₹8 lakh, circumventing traditional quotation or tender processes, thus accelerating local projects. The mission plans to restore a total of 1,000 hectares of mangroves, which includes establishing 300 hectares of new plantations and rehabilitating 700 hectares of degraded areas. An initial fund of ₹38 crore has been earmarked specifically for this critical purpose.
During the Tamil Nadu Mangrove Conclave 2025, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, emphasized the need for legal protection of mangroves by officially designating them as reserve forests. She also highlighted efforts to identify new planting locations, including abandoned aquaculture ponds, disused salt pans, degraded lands, and existing gaps within current mangrove ecosystems.
Currently, Tamil Nadu boasts a mangrove cover of 41.9 square kilometers, comprising 1.19 square kilometers of very dense patches, 25.07 square kilometers of moderately dense areas, and 15.65 square kilometers of open mangroves.
Mr. Bilgi further noted that potential land parcels for restoration are being identified using coastline mapping data from the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, with ongoing efforts for on-the-ground verification.
The conclave also marked a significant collaboration, with the Tamil Nadu government formalizing a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation for various environmental projects. This was done in the esteemed presence of Minister for Forests R.S. Rajakannappan.
Distinguished attendees included Srinivas R. Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force); Rakesh Kumar Dogra, Chief Wildlife Warden; Rahul Nadh, Director of the Department of Environment; and key members of the Tamil Nadu Governing Council for Climate Change.