A coastal restoration program that rebuilds mangrove and estuarine systems to hold the shoreline, restore fisheries and sequester blue carbon at densities terrestrial forest rarely reaches.

Puducherry's coast faces sustained erosion pressure — sediment starvation from upstream structures, hardened shoreline that displaces energy along the coast, and intensifying cyclonic activity. Engineered defences address a stretch at a time and transfer the problem sideways. Mangrove and dune systems dissipate wave energy across their width, trap sediment, and rebuild themselves as they grow.

Work centres on the estuarine and backwater systems where mangrove can genuinely establish, matched to species, salinity gradient and tidal regime, with hydrological connectivity restored first. Fisher communities lead planting and stewardship, since they hold both the local knowledge and the direct stake — mangrove roots are nursery habitat, and fish catch follows their recovery.