The U.K. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey, will visit the Pichavaram mangroves in Killai town panchayat in Cuddalore district on July 29.
According to official sources, Ms. Coffey is expected to visit the mangroves, a biodiversity hotspot in Tamil Nadu, and inaugurate the U.K Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme funded by the U.K. government. The UK PACT supports countries that strive to overcome barriers to clean growth, and have high emissions reduction potential to accelerate their climate change mitigation efforts.
S. Killai Ravindran, vice president of the Killai town panchayat, said that a team accompanying Ms. Coffey will also be collecting soil samples from the mangroves. The team will be working in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Earlier, a team led by Oliver Ballhatchet, Deputy British High Commissioner in Chennai, visited the Pichavaram mangroves on Sunday, July 23, 2023, and reviewed the security arrangements being made for Ms. Coffey’s visit.