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The technical consultation meeting on Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan for Dandi Eco-Sensitive Zone was held on October 16, 2015 at Navsari. The consultation was chaired by Shri A. K. Saxena, IFS (Member Secretary, GEC & Project Director, ICZMP Gujarat) and was attended by Shri K. Thanki, Addl. Collector, Navsari; Shri. S. L. Ninama, DDO, Navsari; Dr. Senthil Vel, Addl. Project Director, SICOM, MoEFCC, Government of India; Shri A. C. Sampat, Director, GEC; Dr. Sudarshan Iyengar, Chariman (Dandi Monitoring Committee); Dr. Anamik Shah, Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Vidyapith; Shri Parthapriya Ghosh, Sr. Social Development Specialist, World Bank; Shri Nischal Joshi, Sr. Manager Proejct, GEC; Shri Ishwar Desai, Social Scientist, GEC; Dr. Kalubhai Dangar, Gujarat Vidyapith and representatives from IPE Global, UMC, Forest Department and GPCB. More importantly, the consultation was attended by the representatives of six project villages. At the onset, the management plan was presented and the activities planned were explained to the participants. The technical consultation has helped to garner suggestions from the participants and significantly from the village representatives.Images

On November 20, 2015 the Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat and Chairman, Gujarat Ecology Commission Shri Punamchand Parmar, IAS visited the project site of ICZMP in Jamnagar. He visited the site of ‪Sewage Treatment Plant where work is in full swing. The 70 MLD Zero Discharge Sewage Treatment Plant in Jamnagar is one of its kind in India under the World Bank funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. The project is a significant part of ICZMP and is implemented by the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation with inputs from the SPMU Gujarat.Images

The World Bank organized a workshop on October 27, 2015 at New Delhi to discuss about the communication strategy and the interventions undertaken in Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP). The workshop focussed on the strategy adopted by the SPMUs, activities implemented so far and the future course of actions. The workshop was moderated by the Task Team Leader of ICZMP – World Bank and was attended by representatives of World Bank, SICOM, SPMU Gujarat, SPMU Odisha, SPMU West Bengal and NCSCM.Images

WORLD BANK TEAM VISITS GUJARATDetails

The thirteenth Steering Committee meeting of ICZMP Gujarat was held on September 2, 2015 in the committee room of Forests & Environment Department under the Chairmanship of Shri Punamchand Parmar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Forests and Environment Department, Government of Gujarat to provide guidance and advice for overall implementation and management of the project. The meeting was attended by the members of the Committee, representatives of the World Bank, SICOM and the PEAs. The World Bank team debriefed the Chairman about achieved output of the project activities so far and outcome of the field visit during the 8th Joint Implementation Support Mission. Apart from this many pertinent issues like JMC work, BISAGs activity, approval of restructured Revised Cost Estimate for ICZMP and oil spill study with GPCB were discussed in the meeting.Images

Ozone Day Celebration in Dandi Details

July is the month of mangroves. With International Mangrove Day on 26th of July, let us together know more about the mangroves in the coming days. Starting today, we would share a FAQ on mangroves every day on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GEC.Gujarat.
You are welcome to participate in the same and send us interesting photographs of mangroves. We would be happy to tag you and acknowledge your contribution through GEC Facebook page/publications. Please email us the photographs (jpeg format) on gujecocommission@gmail.com by August 3, 2015. Don’t forget to write your full name and the link to your Facebook page. Share & participate. Calling all mangrove lovers

Forests & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat has constituted a State level Committee to review and finalize the Coastal Zone Management Plan for the State of Gujarat. The Committee would be Chaired by the Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat. The Member Secretary of Gujarat Ecology Commission has been entrusted with the role of Member Secretary of the Committee to prepare and finalize the Coastal Zone Management Plan. Moreover, Gujarat Ecology Commission shall work as the Coordinating Agency for finalization of the plan. Refer to the Government Resolution issued in this regard. Resolution

The Central Laboratory established under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) at Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), Gandhinagar has been inaugurated on World Environment Day 2015 i.e. June 5, 2015 by Hon’ble Minister, Forests & Environment Department, Shri Mangubhai Patel.
The State of the Art Environmental Laboratory of GPCB is equipped with advanced scientific instruments with essential supplementary facilities that would help all stakeholders in analysis of wide environmental samples, which would pave way for futuristic research and development. The laboratory will enhance the capacity of various institutions in the State to promote their environmental and ecological research domain.
The Central Laboratory has been established by GPCB with the financial assistance of the World Bank aided Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. The Central Laboratory is envisaged as an integral part of the project to build the capacity of the State Pollution Control Board to manage the stability of coastal environment and monitor health of coastal water.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project is envisioned as a mutli-disciplinary process for promoting sustainable management of coastal zones. It represents a paradigm shift from regulatory methods to management of natural resources by developing mechanisms to foster inter-sectoral collaboration in conservation efforts. Click here for the video on laboratory

As a part of the capacity building initiatives of ICZMP, Gujarat Ecology Commission is implementing a series of workshops on CRZ Notification 2011 in Gujarat State. So far, these workshops have been conducted in 10 districts of the State and have helped more than 400 district level government officials in understanding the nuances of the Notification and its procedures. A similar workshop was conducted in Junagadh district on April 24, 2015. The workshop was attended by 14 participants, which consisted of officials from GPCB, Collector office, Port Office and Forest Department. The participants have well appreciated the workshop reference material provided in English and Gujarati. They have also shared that the workshop helped them in understanding different provisions of the notification, which would certainly help them while taking decision on issues related to coastal area. Images

Continuing our efforts in creating knowledge benchmarks under ICZMP, Gujarat Ecology Commission has developed a research paper on Mangrove ‬ Restoration and Regeneration Monitoring in Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat State, India, Using Remote Sensing and Geo-Informatics. The paper has been published in the International Journal of Geosciences, April 2015. The paper was developed as a joint study by Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) and under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) was taken up by Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG). The major objective of this study was to monitor the increase in mangrove cover in coastal areas of Gulf of Kachchh using the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data of 2005, 2011 and 2014. Research Paper

The ‬ ICZM Plan for the Gulf of Kachchh is being prepared and a Technical Expert Consultation was held at Gandhinagar on April 17, 2015 which brought together more than 50 sector experts. The consultation was Chaired by Shri P. K. Taneja, IAS Additional Chief Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat and it helped in gathering views and experiences from the experts and agencies who are involved in various aspects of coastal zone management. The plan is being developed by DHI, India.
Experts from World Bank, SICOM – Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Wildlife Trust of India, MSSRF, NCSCM, SACON, NIO, Space Applications Centre, GEER Foundation, GPCB, Marine National Park – Jamnagar etc. participated in the technical consultation. Images

In order to reduce the pollution load on coastal natural resources of Gulf of Kachchh, a Sewage Treatment Plant is being constructed in the city of Jamnagar. The initiative is an integral part of the ICZMP in association with the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation. Recently Shri A. K. Saxena, IFS Member Secretary (GEC) & Project Director (ICZMP Gujarat) visited the site in the first week of April 2015 to review and monitor the work. More than 65 per cent of the work has been completed so far. Images

The ICZM Project in Gujarat is constantly planning & implementing capacity building and communication activities for our beneficiaries- the communities living on Gujarat's coast. In a special initiative to strengthen the village CBOs & create impact sustainability, the SPMU in collaboration with UNNATI- Organization for Development Education, Ahmedabad, condcted a two day-workshop for our field executives in Gandhinagar from Feb 26th- 27th.
The CBO development and strengthening workshop is organized with the special intent to train community mobilizers to facilitate CBO strengthening workshops through SATCOM (Satellite Communication).
UNNATI- our partner in this venture- has prepared the training modules for the learning benefit of CBOs include environmental awareness, capacity building of CBOs, leadership development, accounting and much more to ensure sustainability of the project impact. These modules shall be beamed via SATCOM to the beneficiaries from specific locations in their communities.
The training was inaugurated by Shri A.K. Saxena,IFS, Member Secretary, Gujarat Ecology Commission, Project Director, ICZMP-Gujarat; Shri Tikadhar, CCF, Jamnagar and Shri A.C. Sampat, Director,Gujarat Ecology, Addl. Project Director. Images

The ICZM yatra, which began on December 18, 2014 has been concluded at Guneri village of Lakhpat block in Kachchh district. During the last 52 days the yatra travelled around 3500 km covering the 160 ICZMP villages along the Gulf of Kachchh. On February 7, 2015 the yatra covered Sayaro and Kaner villages of Lakhpat taluka in the morning hours. The concluding ceremony of the yatra was held at Guneri village. Forest officials, Sarpanch, members of CBO and SHGs were present in the yatra. Overall the concluding yatra was attended by over 400 people including the children. The presence of the Sarpanch and forest officials added value to the gathering. The community members attentively watched the documentaries shown on TV and went back with the pamphlets about achievements of the ICZMP. On the whole, the ICZM yatra has reached more than 63,000 people of the coastal villages with various messages on ICZM. Do follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates on the ICZM Yatra! Images

SPMU GEC is organizing an ICZM yatra or journey to the 160 project villages along the Gulf of Kachchh in a span of two months. The yatra in the form of a tableau is expected to raise awareness about the scope of integrated concept of coastal zone management and share achievements of the ICZM project.
The ICZM Yatra was flagged off today December 18th 2014 by the Hon’ble Minister of Forests and Environment, Govt. of Gujarat Shri Mangubhai Patel The major objectives of the yatra are as follows:
• To raise the awareness about the scope of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, by involving multiple stakeholders of the project.
• To spread awareness and build capacity of community in coastal zone management approach.
• For branding the ICZM project within project areas and showcase involvement of community and other partners.
• To encourage community and people of all ages towards concerns of coastal zone management and would encourage community to be a part of the ICZM process.
The tableau along with the mobilisation team, members of CBOs/EDCs/SHGs and local leaders would make a stopover at all the project villages and would engage the communities and children with discussion, audio-video shows, bhavai etc.
It is expected that the yatra would be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister of Forests & Environment, Government of Gujarat Shri Mangubhai Patel on December 18, 2014 from Dwarka.
The yatra would provide an insight to the project’s achievements through various displays, printed materials and audio-visual medium. It will help to attract people of all ages towards concerns of coastal zone management and would encourage community to be a continuous part of the process. Images

ICZM project has completed four years in Gujarat. The project has been able to reach its stakeholders through interventions. Gujarat Ecology Commission as the SPMU of the project is moving towards institutionalising integrated coastal zone management approach in Gujarat. This progress report has information about all its unique activities, which brings together various stakeholders like coastal communities of Gulf of Kachchh, various government departments, NGOs, industries, academic and research institutes. Progress Report

International Cultural Exchange is a strong platform to strengthen ties between countries, their people and cultures as well as promote knowledge sharing! Gujarat Ecology Commission welcomes the honourable delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco to Jamnagar Gujarat as part of the South-South Exchange Programme. The delegation comprises of honourable members of the Moroccan Ministry of Environment, officials from department of natural resources management, maritime fishing and aquaculture development among others. Images

Workshops to sensitize government officials involved in coastal zone management on the CRZ 2011 notification are an important feature of integrated coastal zone management. The CRZ Workshops are an exercise to enhance knowledge and capacity of government officials associated with coastal zones on coastal zone management.
On September 2nd and 4th, CRZ workshops were held for officials of Gir-Somnath district in the Collector’s Office, Veraval and the Collector’s Office, Ahmedabad respectively. In all 52 officials attended the CRZ workshop. Images

On October 17th, Gujarat Ecology Commission, the State Project Management Unit for the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) hosted a workshop on the ICZMP Gujarat in Bhuj, Kutch District for district level officials from various state govt. departments.
The workshop aims to provide a platform for government officials of various departments with reference to coastal zone management, to communicate with one another about existing schemes and how these schemes can be linked to produce outcomes to benefit the communities in Gujarat’s coastal zone. This communication exercise between managers in an integrated framework is an important exercise for integrated management.
Officials belonging to the following departments (and more) shall participate in the workshop:
1. Agriculture, 2. Animal Husbandry, 3. Irrigation, 4. Water Supply, 5. Social Forestry, 6. Rural Development, 7. Education, 8. Health, 9. Watershed Development, 10. Public Works
Within this integrated framework, the workshop is expected to initiate a dialogue on how different departments can form linkages with another to cooperate for integrated coastal zone management. Images

On September 16th 2014, the world united in commemorating the International Day for Preservation of the Ozone Layer "Ozone is a form of oxygen. Oxygen occurs in three different forms in the atmosphere; as oxygen atoms (O), as oxygen molecules (O2) and as zone(O3). Ozone’s unique physical properties allow the ozone layer to act as our planet’s sunscreen, providing an invisible filter to help protect all life forms from the sun’s damaging UV (ultraviolet)rays. Most incoming UV radiation is absorbed by ozone and prevented from reaching the Earth’s surface. Without the protective effect of ozone, life on Earth would not have evolved the way it has." (Ministry of Environment & Forests, Ozone Cell,2008) It is therefore important to preserve the ozone but moreover inform and educate the general public about what the ozone layer is and what is its purpose. With this goal in mind, Gujarat Ecology Commission planned awareness generation activities for community members in ICZMP project villages spanning the districts of Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi and Dwarka. Activities included information sessions for young school children about the ozone layer followed by rallies throughout the village area with children displaying posters and banners for the occasion. Images

On September 5th under the chairmanship of Project Director, SPMU Gujarat, a progress review meeting with GEC ICZMP Field Executives was held at Infocity club, Gandhinagar.
A monthly meeting with field executives has now become an important part of project management under the ICZMP Gujarat. Regular meetings with field executives give an insight into works and progress at the grassroots level. This also brings to the forefront any challenges field executives may face. This review meeting provided a forum for GEC's field executives to update the project authorities about the progress of their individual works and goals. The project authorities in turn guided field executives and gave valuable inputs to help expedite works and enhance project progress. Images

A Review Meeting for the Project Executive Agencies (PEAs) under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management project (ICZMP) Gujarat was held on 30th August, 2014 at 11.30 hrs in GEC's Conference Hall. The objective of the review meeting was to review current status of the project, progress and any bottlenecks in implementation. With time regular review meetings have helped streamline the course of the ICZM project (Gujarat); increased interaction between the SPMU and PEAs have also helped resolve challenges in a collaborative manner.

The 2nd workshop on Web/GIS based Decision Support System(DSS) was organised at BISAG on 27th August, 2014. The workshop's objective was sensitisation and familiarisation of Web-enabled GIS based- Decision Support System for all PEAs under the ICZMP-Gujarat. The workshop was organised to showcase the data integration of various activities carried out by PEAs into web/GIS based DSS. The workshop was organised for the following objectives:
1. To showcase the updated version of the DSS after incorporating the suggestions taken from PEAs during the 1st workshop held on 21st December 2013.
2. To showcase and verify the integration of activity related data into GIS based DSS received from PEAs.
3. Request PEAs to send all the details of various activities to strengthen the DSS to make it powerful tool for taking decisions.
The GIS integrated data of various activities has been verified and non-spatial data (tabular data) to support the spatial data(GPS locations) has been requested.Comments were received from the participants regarding the designing component of the DSS, Homepage development with login details and brief description of ICZM project on the homepage.
The overall feedback of the workshop noted the strong development of framework as well as basic tools and functionalities which will be useful for basic analysis to support decisions.
On the basis of suggestions by participants, weekly monitoring of the suggestions given by participants will be carried out in order to incorporate the same into the DSS. Similar daylong or half-day training programmes can be organised for further understanding of the operation and functioning of DSS. Images

Every year, June 5th is dedicated to the environment when the world gets together to celebrate World Environment Day by initiating various actions to conserve Mother Nature, spread environmental awareness and encourage people to act responsibly.In this spirit, Gujarat Ecology Commission initiated several activities on World Environment Day to make people aware as well as to make future generations participate in conservation initiatives Click here to read report

SPMU completed the third batch of our training on the ICZMP held from 14-21st July, 2014 at IIT, Kharagpur, West Bengal! The purpose of this multidisciplinary training was to bring together the diverse stakeholders involved in coastal management. The training aimed to sensitize participants on issues related to the coast such as challenges faced by coastal communities, coastal hazards, as well as the science of the coast i.e. coastal geomorphology, importance of the inter-tidal zone,monitoring of coral reefs and mangroves, and much more! Training Schedule

Our many Congratulations and best wishes to the Winners as well as all the participants who made this competition possible.
A very special thanks to Dr. A.K. Verma, IFS, Member Secretary, Gujarat Ecology Commission, Mr. A.C. Sampat, Director, GEC and Mr. Nischal Joshi, Senior Manager (Project),GEC for their support and guidance to make this event a success. We would also like to thank our jury members Mr. Sanat Shodhan, Mr. Shailesh Raval and Mr. Vinod Gajjar for giving us their time and judging over 100 photographs and selecting the winners which we know was a difficult process as every picture presented the photographers' creative best.
We now invite you to see the talent and creativity of our participants at our exhibition! Kindly see the invitation flyer above for all the necessary details! Invitation

Gujarat Ecology Commission organized a one day workshop on ‘Beyond Mind Power’ for the team of GEC on 20th June 2014 at Gandhinagar. Team members from GEC and representatives of PEAs participated in this workshop. The Director, GEC, Mr. A.C. Sampat inaugurated the workshop and welcomed all the participants to the workshop.
Mr. Naxatra Meuva and his team conducted this workshop, wherein the participants were enlightened about the state of mind, power of thoughts, power of spoken words and much more in a unique interactive manner. More than 70 people participated in the workshop. Such workshops can be potentially useful for organizational and human resource development. Images

The SPMU Gujarat has produced a video-documentary, On the fringes of earth: A success story of Ashiravandh village that showcases the dairy development activities undertaken in Kachchh district by Gujarat Ecology Commission. These activities are an essential part of the ‘Livelihood security of coastal communities’ component of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project in Gujarat. Based on the PRA done in the village during initiation of the project, a milk collection centre was set up in Ashiravandh village to augment livelihood of community. Prior to setting up the centre, several deliberations with the CBO members and community members were done. The collection centres, since then has helped the communities in acquiring better return for milk collected from the village.
The documentary travels through the journey of Ashiravandh village from setting up the milk collection centre to the conservation natural resources. It is indeed a matter of content that the milk collection centre has resulted in reducing dependency of people on coastal resources, thereby has set an example towards conservation of natural resources. The documentary applauds the efforts of community members of Ashiravandh as well as encourages many such villages to take up alternative livelihood measures under the ICZMP.
Few highlights of the documentary are as follows: • Showcases process and approach used to promote livelihood activity in Ashiravandh village under ICZMP. • Involvement of community members in setting up milk collection centre. • Augmentation in earnings by selling the milk collected through designated channels. • Reduction in dependency on coastal natural resources.
The documentary is produced in Gujarati and English

Gujarat Ecology Commission, in association with IIT Kharagpur has trained 23 officials on Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. This was the second batch of training, which was held during February 20-27, 2014. The participants included senior officials from various departments of Government of Gujarat like GPCB, GEER Foundation, Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority, Water Supply Department as well as the SPMU of West Bengal (Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management). The training would indeed help the participants in building their knowledge on various aspects of coastal zone management. Images

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Coastal Communities become oriented to Lobster and Crab fattening as a Livelihood option Under the ICZMP, livelihood development and income generation are very important goals. In addition to being the SPMU for the ICZMP, GEC is also implementing various programs and activities under the socioeconomic development component of the project. As such, livelihood development initiatives comprise an important part of GEC’s work in the ICZMP.
In the past few decades, aquaculture and mariculture development are increasingly becoming a sustainable source of income and food security for millions of people in developing countries including India. Within this framework of mariculture for livelihood development, GEC tied up with UTHAAN, an Ahmedabad based-NGO to conduct a feasibility study to assess the potential for lobster and crab fattening in ten villages of Naliya and Anjar clusters.
Following the feasibility study, on December 12th 2013, orientation sessions on lobster farming were held in Mandvi whereas on December 18th and 19th the orientations were held in Maliya and Mundra respectively. Two experienced trainers from UTHAAN conducted the sessions and explained the process of lobster and crab farming, case studies, its livelihood potential and social benefits. The orientations also selected participants for the next phase of the lobster and crab farming training planned for later this month. The training will be an 8-10 day-long, intensive and demonstration based- activity. Beneficiaries will get firsthand experience of cultivating a lobster pit, feeding and other processes of lobster and crab farming. The trainings will be held in Gandhidham and Naliya; about 100 participants are expected to attend the trainings. Images

An awareness workshop was organized in Bhuj, Kachchh on October 30, 2013 for the members of district level coastal zone management authority. The workshop began with an introduction and welcome speech by the Additional District Collector, Mr. D. B. Shah, in which he emphasised on the importance of coastal zone management and the significant role that Kachchh plays in maritime sector of the state.
The workshop was attended by over 60 district and block level officials of various departments. A presentation on CRZ Notification 2011 and its provisions was done by Sr. Manager Project, GEC. The workshop provided an opportunity for the officials to know more about coastal zone management and provisions under CRZ notification. All the participants have been given a copy of reference material, which includes Gazette on CRZ notification 2011 (English & Gujarati), FAQs on CRZ Notification 2011, Quick Reference on CRZ Notification, presentation on CRZ Notification 2011 and integrated coastal zone management.Images

The changing environment and climate has made natural disasters a common place in world over. Technology and human wisdom is put to test when disaster strikes. Due to its proximity to the Arabian Sea and the geological formation, villages of the Gulf of Kachchh have had faced the fury of nature several times in the past. Lack of knowledge about disaster management has resulted in heavy loss of human and cattle lives as well as of property. Therefore, Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) developed a specific training module on disaster management under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project to create awareness among the youth of coastal villages. Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) was roped in for technical expertise.
The trainings, which began on September 23, 2013 built the capacity of 950 villagers of three districts, such as Kachchh, Rajkot and Jamnagar in a span of one month. The sessions were carefully planned to cater to the needs of the villagers and was delivered by experts from GSDMA. The one-day training programme primarily focussed on disaster management, first aid, search and rescue. In the beginning, participants were given an overview about various types of disaster like man-made and natural. The session on search and rescue training emphasized on building collapse, drowning, flood rescue, earthquake and cyclone rescue etc. With the help of power point presentations and live demonstrations, the participants were made aware about first aid and emergency rescue method. Images
Feedback from participants “From this training our capacity is built to face natural disasters and it will help me and my family members ’’ Sarojben Vasoya, Eco-development Committee Member, Khijadiya, Jamnagar
“After the training, I have gained knowledge on natural as well as man-made disasters. It also helped in learning the steps of first aid & emergency rescue methods’’ Falgunbhai Ahir, Tuna village, Kachchh

All the PEAs of ICZM project were called by the SPMU, Gujarat to review physical and financial progress of project activities. The review meeting was organized on October 11, 2013 at GEC, which was attended by nodal officers of Gujarat Ecology Commission, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Jamnagar Municipal Corporation, GEER Foundation, Marine National Park, BISAG and Kachchh Forest Circle. The review meeting looked in to the challenges faced by the PEAs on implementing the project and have proposed appropriate actions to be taken to avoid delay. More importantly, the meeting proved fruitful in resolving issues pertaining to procurement as well as project activities Images

Gujarat Ecology Commission has organized a unique drawing competition for the school children of Gulf of Kachchh, My Coastal Village, My Environment during September 5 to 16, 2013. The drawing competition was conducted with the guidance of Dr. A. K. Verma (IFS), Member Secretary, Gujarat Ecology Commission. The competitions were held in 205 schools, wherein over 10,078 children participated. The final drawing competition was held on September 16, 2013 at Bhuj, Kachchh. The finale had a participation of over 325 school students, who were the winners of school level competitions held during September 5 to 13, 2013. The final drawing competition also coincided with the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer .The final drawing entries were judged by four artists and chaired by Mr. A. V. Asari P.C.C.F. (retired) & Director of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GIDE).

The winners of the drawing competition were as follows:
Standard 1 to 4
First prize: Ishita Rathod, Navyug P.S. Vadinar, Jamnagar [Rs. 10,000/-] Second prize: Haresh Koshi, Moti Chirai P. S., Bhachau, Kachchh [Rs. 7,500/-] Third prize: Vishal Bamniya (Hadiyala P. S. Jodiya, Jamnagar [Rs. 5,000/-]
Standard 5 to 8
First prize: Khalifa Aabid, Nani Chirai P. S., Bhachau, Kachchh [Rs. 10,000/-] Second prize: Malek Nafisabanu, Mugani P. S, Jamnagar [Rs. 7,500/-] Third prize: Rahul Madam (Pindara P. S, Jamnagar [Rs. 5,000/-] Images

Gujarat Ecology Commission, in association with NCSCM and University of Maryland, USA organized a workshop on September 5-6, 2013 to develop a framework for Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment for Gulf of Kachchh. Shri H.K. Dash, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, Govt. of Gujarat and Dr. C. N. Pandey, IFS, Chief Wild Life Warden commended the efforts of GEC, NCSCM and the University of Maryland for collaborating to prepare a Health Card for MNP and a Cumulative EIA for Gulf of Kachchh.
Today, evaluating and reporting environmental impact assessments is more important than ever. Educating the general public about environmental issues is imperative as the world struggles with the adverse impacts of climate change. A precise yet informative and user-friendly resource such as the Environmental Health Report Card keeps the general public informed about themes in environmental issues such as restoration and conservation. Overall, the workshop was a multilateral collaboration with inputs from different stakeholders participating in the workshop.
Gujarat Ecology Commission looks forward to taking its commitment to the environment further by working closely with University of Maryland and NCSCM over the next 2-3 months to develop a detailed and systematic report card for the Gulf of Kachchh, a gem of our national biodiversity heritage. The Environmental Health Report Card concept is a novel method of communicating science to the general public, communication that is based on scientific data and information, and is yet visually appealing and easy to understand. GEC seeks to further engage in similar endeavours to enhance the policy dialog on the environment.

The Jamnagar coast is home to several sensitive ecosystems like mangroves, corals and sea grasses. It also houses various industries, which are vital for the economy. In order to assess various pressures and as well as opportunities for better conservation of existing ecosystems in the Marine National Park and Sanctuary area an International Workshop was organised by Gujarat Ecology Commission in association with the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management and the University of Maryland, USA under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. The workshop was held from September 2 to 4, 2013 at Jamnagar. The objective of the workshop was to prepare a draft Coastal Ecosystem Health Card for the Marine National Park.

International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), Okinawa, Japan has conferred an Institutional Membership to Gujarat Ecology Commission for its extensive and novel work on mangrove regeneration in Gujarat. ISME is an international non-profit and non-governmental scientific society, which promotes international cooperation in mangrove conservation.

International Workshop on Mangrove Conservation, India Detail

Under Socio-Economic Component of ICZMP – Gujarat, GEC has started day care centre at Bhangodhi Vandh, Ta. Adbasa, dist. Kachchh with the aim of “Education for All” Linkages were developed with State Education department, Government of Gujarat to setup a permanent primary school after completion of two years of the day care centre. Inauguration was done by Sh. Lomesh Brahmbhatt, Manager (Field), GEC and Sh. Ishwar Desai, Social Scientist GEC, Sh. Bhavin Patel, Kelavani Nirikshak Officer from State Education Department, GOG, Village Panchayat Sarpanch, CBOs Members and Bhangodhi Villagers etc. Images

A two-day national level project review meeting has been organised by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) at Gandhinagar on May 3 and 4, 2013. SICOM is the National Project Management Unit (NPMU) of the World Bank aided Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP). The workshop would be hosted by Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC), the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of ICZMP Gujarat.
The workshop would be attended by officials of SICOM, New Delhi; SPMU Odisha; SPMU West Bengal; National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai and Survey of India. The deliberations would focus on creating a mid-term strategy for the ICZM project.

The seminar is an initiative to spread awareness about coastal zone management and to encourage young participants to take up the cause of environment com-munication under the banner of ICZM project, Gujarat. Around 120 environment and communication scientists and re-searchers; Government and non-Government officials working in related field; environment activists; representatives of corporate sector and media professionals would participate in the seminar. The seminar is expected to increase ecological awareness, create right attitude and enable sharing of knowledge. Invitation schedule

Under the ICZM project, GEC initiated an activity to make people aware about importance of corals and other marine marvels through an art event. The event, ‘A Fusion of Art and Environment’ was held at Jamnagar from January 4th to 8th,2013 in partnership with the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation and Marine National Park and Sanctuary.
Ms. Bipasha Sen Gupta, a well-known artist from New Delhi curated the event. Along with her, several eminent artists from various parts of the country joined hands to spread the message about conservation corals, mangroves and marine life. Over 30 art works on corals were exhibited at the venue.
The art event was inaugurated by The Mayor of Jamnagar City Amiben Parikh on 4th January 2013 at 10:30 am at the Oshwal Centre, Jamnagar in presence of the government dignitaries, artists and art lovers.

Shri Ganpat Vasava, Tribal and Forest & Environment Minister, Govt of Gujarat, released three books published by the Gujarat Ecology Commission, viz 1) Towards Green Gujarat: 18 inspiring environment friendly practices in Gujarat; 2) Evaluation of Sea turtle Nesting Population and Threats to Nesting Beaches: Suggested Conservation and Management Strategies; 3) Study of Seaweed Diversity along the islands of Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat; during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013 on January 8th, 2013 in Gandhinagar. Publications

Gujarat Ecology Commission in association with National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has organised a training program on “Multidisciplinary Oceanographic Observations for Coastal Zone Management - For officials of State of Gujarat” during 30th July to 9th August 2012 at NIO campus, Goa. Major topics covered under the training program were like Geological Processes, Coastal Geomorphology, Coastal Erosion,Geological and Geophysical exploration tools and techniques to study seabed and sub-seabed of coastal region, Weather and Climate of coastal water, Remote Sensing in coastal zone waters, Coastal Biodiversity, Coastal aquaculture, Bio-invasion and ballast water management, Coral Reefs-impact & monitoring, Tsunami early warning system etc. Training program includes lectures, field visits, lab work and interactions with the experts of NIO, Goa which would enhance the knowledge and better understanding of participants for coastal zone management. In the training, total 28 project staffs of Gujarat, West Bengal and Odisha SPMU are participated including participants from Gujarat Forest Department, Gujarat Project Executing Agencies, Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority.
An Inaugural function was conducted on 30th July 2012, chaired by Shri. Vivek Wadekar, IRS, National Project Director-SICOM. Other delegates present for the function were Shri. C.H.Pandya,IFS, Director, GEC; Shri Bharat Pathak, IFS, Director, GEER Foundation, Dr. S.R.Shetye, Director, NIO and Dr.A.K.Chaubey, Chief Scientist,NIO
Shri.A.K.Verma, IFS,Member Secretary, GEC chaired the Valedictory function, held on the concluding day of the training i.e. 9th August 2012. Other delegates present for the function were Dr. S.R.Shetye, Director, NIO and Dr.A.K.Chaubey, Chief Scientist,NIO.Proceeding

A one day conference on Public Grievance Redressal Mechanism was held on April 8, 2012 at the Conference Hall of Southern Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Surat. The conference, conducted in partnership with Gujarat State Legal Services Authority, Ahmedabad strengthened and enhanced the knowledge of Judges of the district courts of Gujarat state. It has also helped the participants to understand more precisely, the coastal issues, importance of coastal areas, marine biodiversity, coastal biodiversity, Government policies, role of GEC and ICZMP etc. The conference was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Justice Shri. A. L. Dave, Judge, High Court of Gujarat & Executive Chairman, SALSA, Hon’ble Justice Shri. Akil A. Kureshi, Judge, High Court of Gujarat & Administrative Judge, Surat District; Dr. S. K. Nanda, IAS, Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat and Shri. A. K. Verma, IFS, Member Secretary, Gujarat Ecology Commission. Proceeding

Seaweeds or benthic marine algae are the group of plants that live either in marine or brackish water environment. Seaweeds contain photosynthetic pigments and with the help of sunlight and nutrient present in the seawater, they photosynthesize and produce food. Seaweeds are found in the intertidal area and sub-tidal area up to limit of photic zone. The marine herbivores feed selectively upon available seaweeds and their choice of foods can affect their survivorship, growth and reproduction. Therefore seaweeds play an important role in the marine environment or ecology.
A study is being carried out by GEC on Diversity of Seaweeds along the coast of Islands of Gulf of Kutch area under ICZM Project. Dr. S K Dodia and Mr. Ankur Patel had visited Chank, Noru, Bhaider, Khara-mitha chusana Azad and Pashu islands from 8/2/2012 to 13/2/2012 with three boatmen under this study for the collection of seaweed samples. Total 102 samples have been collected, prepared herbarium which is available for reference at GEC office. During the field visit a variety of Sea anemone, sponges, and soft corals like ball flowery soft corals, Sea slugs, hard corals, sea grasses and seaweeds have been observed and photographed. The next trip will be carried out on 10th to 15th March 2012 at other Islands of Gulf of Kutch. Images

The First Consultation Meeting for the Phase II under the ICZM Project was held on Tuesday, 23rd January, 2012 under the Chairmanship of Dr. S. K. Nanda IAS, Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment Dept., Government of Gujarat, in the committee room of the department at 3:30PM. During the meeting, various stages involved in making a fresh proposal to be taken up under the project were explained through ppt. Additional areas and activities that can be taken up for the Phase I of the project were also discussed with the various PEAs.

An MoU between GEC and SICOM regarding the GANDHI Project was signed on January 16th, 2012 in Gandhinagar. Amongst the dignitaries present were, Shri. J. M. Mauskar IAS, Special Secretary, MoEF, GOI; Dr. S. K. Nanda IAS, Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment Dept., Government of Gujarat, Dr. Senthil Vel, National Project Director, ICZM, SICOM; Dr. Nalini Bhat, Advisor, MoEF and Shri. A. K. Verma IFS, Member Secretary, GEC.

As a part of ICZM Project, Gujarat State Project Management Unit (SPMU) is to undertake the works for the development and establishment of a Marine Oceanarium (Marine Research, Conservation & Information Centre) at Dwarka in association with Tourism Department (TCGL), Government of Gujarat. In this connection, State Government has issued GR. No.ENV-10.2007-884-E (Part File 5); dated 21st Nov. 2011. An MoU between GEC and TCGL regarding the same was signed on December 15th, 2011.

Under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project, the Second Joint Implementation Support Mission of the World Bank visited Gujarat during 5th to 9th December, 2011. The World Bank, Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), the State Project Management Units (SPMUs) and Pilot Executing Agencies (PEAs) of the three states- Gujarat, West Bengal and Orissa that are a part of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project in India, participated in the mission. The visit of the mission started from Jamnagar, on the December 5th, 2011, and culminated on December 9th, 2011, in Gandhinagar. The delegates visited various project sites at Jamnagar, Gandhidham, Mandvi, Mundra etc. This included Sewerage Network Site of Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC), coastal villages of Khijadiya, Khara Beraja, Kovaipudar, Kukadsar, Jangi, Tuna and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) sampling site at Kandla Port. The World Bank team consisted of Mr. Tapas Paul, Mr. M. Ramakrishnan, Mr. Partho Ghosh and Mr. K. Roy Paul. During the visit World Bank delegates have reviewed all the works that are currently under implementation. The mission ended with a wrap-up meeting with the Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, Government of Gujarat.

The Fourth Steering Committee meeting of the ICZM Project was held on 21st Nov. 2011 at 1200 hrs., under the Chairmanship of Dr. S. K. Nanda, IAS, Principal Secretary, Forest & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat. The main agenda of the meeting was to approve the annual work plan and procurement plan for the year 2012-13 of the ICZM project, to discuss on delegation of financial power to Head of Operations, the HR policy for GEC and ICZM staff and other issues related to the ICZM Project. Proceeding

A One-day Consultation cum Review Meeting of Pilot Executing Agencies (PEAs) involved in the implementation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project, Gujarat, was held on November 8th, 2011 from 9:00am onwards in the conference Hall of Hotel Haveli Fortune Inn, Gandhinagar. All six PEAs participated in this workshop to discuss the current progress of the ICZM Project. As a part of the workshop the queries related procurement, finance and technical works under the ICZM Project were discussed. The PEAs also shared their respective Annual Action Plans for 2012-2013. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri. K. U. Mistry, Chairman, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Government of Gujarat. Proceeding

The First Technical Committee Meeting held on 13th Oct.2011 at 1630 hrs. in Gujarat Ecology Commission Coral Transplantation is one of the major activities under ICZM Project being implemented by GEC. To facilitate this activity, Forests and Environment department, Government of Gujarat has created a technical committee, which is having members like Dr. K.Venkataraman, Director, ZSI, Shri A.K.Verma, Member Secretary, GEC, Shri R.D.Kamboj, IFS, CCF, MNP, Shri Bharat Pathak, IFS, Director, GEER Foundation and Mr. M.I.Patel, Retd. Deputy Director, Fisheries. This Committee meet on 13th Oct.2011 to review the progress under this activity as well as to decide future road map in this regard. Dr. C.N.Pandey, IFS, Addl.PCCF (Development & Management), also participated in the said meeting. The major outcome of this meeting was finalisation of road map to initiate and complete this activity in Gulf of Kutch. Director, ZSI also ensured all possible help in this regard to Gujarat Ecology Commission. Proceeding

Sea Turtle Conservation Meeting : Establishing a Model Hatchery on Gujarat Coast (Gulf of Kachchh). Experts in the Sea Turtle Conservation Participated in the meeting. Proceeding

Audit Committee Meeting : To review the observation made by the Internal Auditor on the Audit Report of ICZM project for the period from April 2011 to June 2011. Proceeding

Stake holder consultation Workshop State Project Management Unit, ICZM project (GEC) organized half a day Workshop in association with Jamnagar Municipal Corporation in Town Hall, Jamnagar on 11th October '11. The main objective of this Workshop was to make various stake holders aware about the project activities with emphasis on soliciting public support in implementation of the process of establishing Sewage Treatment Plant and linking under ground house to house connections. Mayor of Jamnagar town, Commissioner JMC, local MLAs were some of the dignitaries attended the workshop including officials of GEC,JMC and MNP.

As a part of the Green Action for National Dandi Heritage Initiative (GANDHI) Memorial Project an inaugural function was organised by GEC, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, October 2nd 2011, at the Dandi Village, dist- Navsari. Honourable Minister Shri Mangubhai Patel, Forest and Environment Department, Government of Gujarat, inaugurated the function and distributed checks to the heads of the Village level committees of the 6 project villages viz. Dandi, Matwad, Onjal, Samapar, Sultanpur and Aat, for initiation of various activities like mangrove plantation, shelter-belt creation, restructuring of water-bodies and community mobilisation.

India's first National Centre of Marine Bio-diversity (NCMB) will be set up in Jamnagar to promote activities in respect of coastal and marine eco-systems of the country. The center was launched by the hands of Honorable Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh on the 2nd of March in Jamnagar. As part of the activities taken up by the centre, projects in the area of research, education and training will be taken up to control pollution and protect marine life. The Centre will also be instrumental in initiatives for the betterment of coastal communities.

On the 8th of March, celebrated globally as Women's Day, the Gujarat State Project Management Unit organized a one-day workshop of around 500 women from the coastal communities of Jamnagar, Rajkot and Kachchh districts. These women represented the local Community-based organizations and Self-help groups. The workshop intended to facilitate discussions and provide a platform for the women to express their opinions, find practical solutions to the problems faced by them and empower them to achieve economic and social independence.