Tamil Nadu develops 2km coastal bioshield in Cuddalore to protect from sea-level rise, erosion

Cuddalore: In a significant move towards building climate resilience, the Tamil Nadu government has developed a nearly 2 km long coastal bioshield in Cuddalore district to protect local villages from sea-level rise and erosion.

According to a social media update by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu, the living coastal shelterbelt is spread across 45 hectares and is approximately 300 metres wide. The project is designed to safeguard Akkaraikori, Singarathope, and Sonankuppam villages from natural coastal threats.

The bioshield was scientifically designed and planted under the Green Tamil Nadu and Climate Change Mission of the state government. It features a diverse mix of flora including 30,000 Palmyrah trees and 1,00,000 Casuarina seedlings which serve as a primary windbreak, she wrote on her official X handle.


Additionally, the belt includes 28,000 mangrove saplings and about 2,000 tall, coastal-resilient native species, she added.

Sahu described the initiative as a living green guardian rather than a concrete wall. Following the successful implementation in Cuddalore, a similar project is currently being developed in Tuticorin.