From one plant to 2,000: Saving Kannur’s rare mangrove

For more than four decades, fisherman and mangrove conservationist Parayil Rajan, popularly known as Kandal Rajan, has worked to protect Kannur’s mangrove ecosystems. His latest mission is to save a rare mangrove variety, locally known as Kannampotti (Excoecaria agallocha), which he fears could disappear from the district’s tidal landscape.

Mr. Rajan has been collecting seeds from scattered locations and raising them in a nursery attached to his home at Thavam. He says the variety is now found only in a handful of locations in the Kannur region and that his nursery has produced more than 2,000 seedlings.

“I do not want this variety to disappear. If we can raise the seedlings and give them to more people, we can increase its presence again,” Mr. Rajan says. According to him, the seeds can germinate in about two weeks under suitable conditions, while the saplings develop up to four leaves before they are ready for planting. The plant can also establish itself in muddy terrain.

“The seeds are extremely small. I had to spend nearly two to three weeks watching the plant and collecting the seeds whenever they fell,” Mr. Rajan said.

“There is only one such plant there. I collected the seeds from that plant and brought them here for germination. Many people do not recognise it as Kannampotti unless someone identifies it for them,” he said.

Mr. Rajan says its milky sap can cause a burn on contact with the skin and has an acidic character. Claims about the plant’s medicinal uses, including its alleged use in traditional medicine and cancer treatment, remain part of local knowledge and require scientific validation.

Explaining further, he said the plant has a distinctive germination process. Once the seed sprouts and the young plant grows to about two inches, the original seed remains attached to the shoot and continues to nourish the young plant before eventually becoming empty.

Mr. Rajan said the plant can grow in both fresh and saline water, provided the soil retains sufficient moisture. However, the rarity of the plant itself makes scientific study difficult. He said he had received enquiries from outside Kerala, including Tamil Nadu, about Kannampotti.

Mr. Rajan’s conservation work extends far beyond the rare plant. Growing up as a fisherman around the Pazhayangadi river, he came to understand the role mangroves play in sustaining fish, prawns and crabs. He claims to have planted nearly one lakh mangrove saplings along the river.

But his canoe trips through the mangrove channels near Thavam now reveal another threat — plastic bottles trapped among the roots.

Mr. Rajan collects the waste himself, particularly during the dry season, when it accumulates before monsoon waters carry some of it towards the sea.

“Planting mangroves alone is not enough. Their surroundings also have to be protected,” he said. Mangroves stabilise muddy banks, trap sediment, reduce erosion and provide breeding and nursery grounds for aquatic life.

The Kerala Forest Department identifies Kannur as having the largest mangrove extent among the State’s districts and describes mangroves as a natural coastal defence.

M. Rajeevan, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Social Forestry, Kannur, said that the presence of Excoecaria agallocha has declined due to the destruction of mangrove habitats. He confirmed that obtaining seedlings of some mangrove varieties remains difficult, and Kannampotti is among those whose seeds pose challenges.

For Mr. Rajan, therefore, conservation means both protecting existing forests and raising the next generation of plants. “Anyone who wants to plant mangroves can contact me. I am ready to provide the seedlings,” he said. From a lone Kannampotti plant at Pazhayangadi to thousands of seedlings in a home nursery, Rajan’s effort is an attempt to ensure that a species hidden in Kannur’s wetland does not become merely a memory.

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