Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon after Chilika Lake of Odisha along the east coast of India. Estuaries and lagoons have brackish water that shows high biological productivity than foreshore seawater. Hence it has wide range of aquatic, terrestrial flora and fauna. The World Wide Fund for Nature has declared it as a protected area. The present study aims to explore the flora and fauna of the lagoon along with the various threats for its eco-degradation to help plan con ods. The lake spreads over an area of about 620 km and numerous islands lie in it. Out of the total area of the lake, about 360 km in the southern part is active whereas the rest of the lake is in its northern part is desiccated and now it appears more or less like a mudflat. It has 20 islands, the largest being Sriharikota Island. The other large ones are Pernadu, Irrakam and Venadu. Three major rivers that feed the lagoon are the Araniriver, the Kalangi river and the Swarmukhi river. The Buckingham Canal, a navigation channel, is part of the lagoon on its western side. It is connectedto the sea through three tidal inlets, one each at Tupilipalem, Rayadoruvu and Pulilcat villages respectively, from north to south. The sea mouths are not simply a passage of water into the lake but a bio-corridor for the survival of both aquatic fauna and avian fauna. This study examines in detail how mobile communication can play a pivotal role in conserving the ecosystem in Pulicat since the anthropogenic activities are on the rise day by day, terribly affecting the ecosystem of this precious lake. Methodologies adopted aresurvey and interview.
Biodiversity, Pulicat Lake, Threats, Conservation, ecosystem
