The Chilika Lagoon is the largest lagoon of India. With the flow of fresh water from the northern side and the entry of sea water from the southern side makes it a serene environment for many flora and fauna. It is the home to Irawady Dolphins, foraging area to 0.98 million migratory birds and serving home to seagrasses of 6 species. The Chilika Lagoon is the bread and butter of 192 fishing communities who regularly visit Lagoon for catching fishes. Due to overfishing or due to inappropriate nets the biodiversity of chilika is hampered. So to make them aware about the biodiversity mostly the importance of the microbes, zooplankton  for the fishes, there was a field trip arranged for the local fishermen. During this field the fishermen were taught about the importance of seagrasses how they harbour the fishes during their juvenile period and were also taught about the threats and conservation methods for seagrasses. The foldscope was used to show them the zooplanktons, the larvaes of fishes and prawns to make deep impact of how these can hamper their long time fish availability. With the hope of making changes, this was the first step was taken to enlighten the importance of the biodiversity of the Chilika to the local fishermen. A sustained environment would lead to a better future was the motto that was expected to be taught here.

This post is open to read and review on The Winnower.