Future search conference, a three-day programme organizedby DHAN Foundation at Point Calimere in Muthupettai location from 14th March to 16th March 2020. The purpose of the future search conference was to devise a decadal plan (2020-2030) by the coastal community and for the coastal community. The uniqueness of the conference lies in community participation and involvement in identifying the problem – past, present and future – and arriving at the solutions for the present issues by analyzing the past and also projecting the future issues and arriving at the decadal plan.

Dr. Arivoli, District Forest Officer, Mr. Raghupathi, Coastal police and Mr. Frank Heckman, Embassy of Earth and the community leaders chaired the first day programme.

Addressing the gatherings, Dr. Arivoli, District Forest Officer, shared about the contemporary problems, threats that are prevailing in the wetlands. He opined voicing over the issues can only provide solutions. He lauded the state government’s efforts towards wetland ecosystem conservations and encouraged NGOs participation for the cause. He quoted an example of how the wetland is being conserved in Netherland and other countries.

Mr. Raghupathi, Coastal police elaborated on the devastations caused due to natural disasters, concluding though the disasters cannot be contained, its impacts cane be reduced to minimal extent if necessary adoptive sustainable measure are take in-advance.

Mr. Frank Heckman, Embassy of Earth, addressed the importance of conserving mangrove forest in Muthupettai location. Based on the comparative study, he remarked Netherlands is a delta region due to which it doesn’t possess the diversity of the wetland like in India.

Following to the concluding remarks of the dignitaries, the community commenced in enlisting the global changes recorded over the last decade – positives that enlarged the ecosystem and negatives that endangered the ecosystem. With the changes being enlisted, the community progressed to enlist the various factors affecting their livelihoods, which are subsequently resulting in environment impacts.

The emphasis of the second day of future search conference consecrated to in-depth analysis of environment impacts, wherein the community involved in various inter-discussion sessions to arrive at new insights. Furthermore, the community involved in arriving at a logistic framework about the various livelihood activities that needs to be incorporated, that needs to be suspended and those need to remain envisaging a decadal growth (2030) in their forefront. The community arrived at six major findings (things to cease, to create, and to carry-on) – developing mangrove reserves on the shoreline, improving fish resources and eradicating illegal aquaculture farms, reducing salinity in ground water through desiltation of existing and creating new surface water bodies, plastic free villages, natural farming and sustainable fish practices towards a self-reliant village and eradicate Prosopis Juliflora and planting native trees for ecological enhancement

The third day of the future search conference commenced and concluded by community involving in developing strategic plan to realize their six major findings in reality by 2030.