T.N. forest department plants 20,000 mangrove seedlings along Buckingham canal

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has planted 20,000 mangrove seedlings across 20 hectares along the Buckingham Canal during 2025–26 as part of efforts to strengthen Chennai’s coastal ecosystem and improve climate resilience.

Sharing details in a post on social media platform X, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Supriya Sahu said, to ensure proper tidal flow essential for mangrove growth, officials have created a “fishbone” canal system at the site. 

The network includes eight main fishbone canals, eight feeder canals, and 186 distribution channels that allow saline water to circulate through the plantation area.

According to Ms. Sahu, the plantation was carried out by the Chennai Forest Division, and supported by ICICI Bank under its corporate social responsibility programme.

The mangrove restoration is part of a phased programme to establish a green belt of mangrove species in the district. In the first phase, the Forest Department identified an island behind the Hiranandani apartments along Old Mahabalipuram Road at Kazhipattur village for plantation along the Buckingham Canal after obtaining permission from the Water Resources Department.

During 2024–25, around 12,500 mangrove seedlings belonging to six species — Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica, Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Excoecaria agallocha and Acanthus ilicifolius — were planted across 20 hectares. In addition, about 2,500 associated coastal species were planted along the canal banks.

In the second phase, about 5,000 mangrove saplings of species including Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Avicennia marina, and Excoecaria agallocha were planted at the Battle of Adyar Island on the estuary of the Adyar River.

The latest phase involves the planting of 20,000 mangrove seedlings of five species, including Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, and Excoecaria agallocha.

Chennai DFO V.A. Saravanan said the step-by-step restoration is aimed at rebuilding Chennai’s mangrove cover and creating a living coastal bioshield that protects the shoreline, nurtures biodiversity, and strengthens the city’s resilience to cyclones and sea-level rise.