The new Congress Government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to set up a Marine National Park at Netrani island just 19 kms away from the Murudeshwar coast in Karnataka.
The State bio diversity board is planning to declare Netrani Island as the Marine National park to save the endangered bio diversity at the island. According RK Singh, Additional Principal Conservator of Forests and Member Secretary, Karnataka Biodiversity Board, the Government is mooting the idea to declare the island as the Marine National Park. He also said once the court clears the case, the State would start working on the project.
He said in Karwar, “We are working on it. Once the case is resolved in court, we will begin work on it. The idea is to set up a marine national park here is to protect the rich corals and other endangered species.
“The park will also encourage eco-tourism. Fishermen don’t need to worry as they can continue fishing everywhere except in the core area of the Marine National Park,” he added.
Marine National Parks already exist in the Gulf of Kutch, the Andaman and Nicobar islands and in Tamil Nadu.
The Karnataka bio diversity Board also rejected Indian Navy’s request for target practicing at rocky surface on the island. In fact after the Karnataka High Court firmly rejected the Indian Navy’s petition seeking Netrani Island for them to use for target practicing last year the Navy had approached the bio diversity board to permit them to use rocky surface of the island for target practicing.
Netrani or Pigeon Island is located in the Arabian Sea, off the Murudeshwar coast of Uttara Kannada district was used by the Indian Navy for target practice till the Karnataka high court has ordered the Navy to stop target practice until further orders.
The Indian Navy has established project Seabird at Karwar and was using Netrani Island for target practicing for the last 15 years. After protests by environmentalists, locals and marine biologists, Karnataka High Court also restrained the Navy using this island for target practice. The Netrani landmass is the last archipelago island of the Western Ghats.
According to Professor VN Nayak of marine biology department of Karnatak University, the rare corals around the island have started growing and expanding after the halt of the activity.
He said, “I have observed that many types of corals have started growing and expanding in the area in the last one year.”