Mangrove conservationists are happy over the spontaneous move on part of a section of landowners in coastal Satabhaya gram panchayat even as Rajnagar Mangrove Forest Division has gone ahead with a proposal to compensate the landowners through Central forest protection grants.

`This is a positive development with regard to ongoing mangrove conservation programme. The land that the villagers have proposed to hand over has immense potential for mangrove regeneration. And to encourage other villagers, we have requested the government for a monetary compensation package to land donors,' said a mangrove division official.

Earlier this month, a section of landowners, who have left the village to settle elsewhere, held discussions and expressed their desire to transfer the land records of rights to forest department for afforestation project.

The said patches of land measuring more than 500 hectares are being commercially exploited by way of environmentally damaging shrimp farming. With diminishing commercial dividends hitting them hard, the landowners thought it better to give up shrimp farming and give the land for creation of social forestry, forest officials said.

As the Mangrove Forest Division officials observed, the villagers' offer was a Godsend one to keep the dwindling mangrove cover intact. The matter was sincerely deliberated and it was decided that the land donors should be suitably compensated so that more landowners may come forward to give their land.

Lush green mangrove species may sprout up in this acquired land under prawn farming. But its conservation would face hindrance in the event the peripheral land territory does not come under forest department's territorial jurisdiction. Man-made intrusion would definitely pave the way for mangrove saplings to die young, told the forest officials.

Keeping these things in mind, a proposal for monetary compensation for the land donors has been sent to State forest department and Union Ministry of Environment and Forest. Once the proposal is accorded sanction, the process of acquisition of 500 hectares of land would commence.

More and more people were likely to transfer land to forest department as the entire region was severely hit by sea erosion.

Sea has been menacingly crawling towards the human habitations in the area and furious sea advanced 5 km into this gram panchayat during the past 15 years.

`The mangrove belt can act as natural barrier against the marauding sea and it's indeed heartening to note that at least some of the villagers though belatedly have realized the ground reality,' observed Divisional Forest Officer Ajay Kumar Nayak.

Apart from sending the proposal for land reclamation, the department has launched a campaign for awareness on mangrove regeneration.

Once the Satabhaya region is made human interference-free, sea erosion can be tamed considerably by mangroves and innumerable nullahs and water bodies crisscrossing the coastal pocket may serve as a congenial habitat for winged species. Avian species continue to throng this place in large number despite human interference.