Mapping Lives & Livelihoods around Lakes of Peri-urban Chennai

Developing a Response to Urbanization & Climate Change

Status
Future Plan

Ecosystem Audit
BluePrint

Premise

From previous experience we have seen how lakes and the communities living/depending on them have been affected by urbanization; going forward as CMA expands and with changes in climate conditions the lake communities in the fringes of Chennai city are likely to experience similar trends in terms of disintegration of the lake ecosystem, increasing disconnect between lakes and communities, and loss of livelihoods.

Goal

a. How can we develop a response to protect these lake communities and lake ecosystems from similar fate as in the past in collaboration with the communities themselves?

b. How can we inform the third Master Plan to leverage landuse planning, zoning, and other policy/institutional measures to protect and integrate the interests of these lake ecosystems and communities as part of the future development plan?

Methodology

Community Knowledge at the center of understanding lake ecosystems and their relationship with surrounding communities – mapping the different community groups living in the vicinity, understanding their dependencies (or the lack thereof) changing trends/expected changes – through life history of elders; in-depth interviews with the youth, and FGDs. Review planning/policy interventions to identify relevant responses to protect the integrity of these socio-ecological systems in the face of future urbanization

Outcome