Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Coastal zones are currently experiencing intense and sustained environmental pressures from a range of driving forces. Responsible agencies around the globe are seeking ways of better managing the causes and consequences of the environmental change process in coastal areas. The demands on the environment are raising serious concerns from environmentalists, stakeholders, coastal communities and researchers. Pulicat Lake is the second largest lagoon in India has rich natural but at the same time very fragile ecosystem. This lagoon provides nursery and breeding grounds for many species of marine fauna and supports commercial fishing too. This article discusses the current status of the Pulicat Lake biodiversity, the ecological crisis faced by the lake due to lake-mouth closure issues, siltation, shrinkage of the lake, pollution, over fishing, degradation and destruction of natural habitats in the environment. Further it focus on fishermen community socio-economic perspectives of their development towards livelihoods, social organization, literacy, fishing pattern, marketing outlet, income and involvement by NGO’s etc. The healthier lake needs integrated policy approaches, which involve scientific disciplines to address the complexity of the interaction between the social and natural systems in the coastal and marine environment.
Keywords: Pulicat Lake, fragile ecosystem, siltation, literacy, fishing pattern.