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Diving forest rangers

December 15, 2015

India wants to protect some 1400 km of its coastline. As part of this effort forest rangers have to acquire new skills.

https://p.dw.com/p/1HNRg
DW Global 3000 - Andaman
Image: DW

Species protection for India's coasts

Project goal: Training forest rangers to look after endangered coastal areas

Project partners: Indian Forest Service (IFS), Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Project volume: 9,6 Mio. Euro from the International Climate Initiative (IKI)

Project size: 1400 km of India's coastline

Some 7500 km long, India's coastline is one of the longest in the world. Ecosystems along the coasts support around 20 million people and are home to thousands of animal and plant species. But a growing population and the quest for economic growth have put these regions under pressure. Now, 1400 km of coastline are to be protected from ongoing exploitation and destruction. Rangers from the Indian Forest Service are set to be in charge. The protection of coastal regions is a different challenge from what the rangers normally do. Which is why some of them have received special training in the Andaman islands. The archipelago features biodiversity like nowhere else in India. The rangers are expected to pass on their newly acquired expertise to their colleagues later on.

A film by Christoph Kober