Wadge Bank Ecosystem

Context

•    The exploration of oil and gas blocks has raised serious concerns in Kanniyakumari district as it could badly affect the Wadge Bank Ecosystem.

Wadge Bank Ecosystem

•    It is a part of the sea that is a fertile fishing ground and rich in biodiversity.  The wadge bank ecosystem off the coastline of Kanyakumari, situated in the southwest off the shore, is the mainstay of marine resources for fisherfolk of the southern districts of India adjacent to the site.

Significance

•    It is like a warehouse, a feeding house for the fish, and a number of reef systems exist in this region with over 200 varieties of rare fish species and more than 60 kinds of aquatic species.
•   Wadge Bank was an invaluable treasure that indigenous people and communities depended on for food and resources that were important to their culture.