Four Visakhapatnam students win U.S. fellowship for restoring coastal ecosystem with seagrass

Four Visakhapatnam students win US fellowship for restoring coastal seagrass ecosystems, combating climate change through innovative project.

Four city-based students got selected for a 10-day US fellowship tour for restoring the city’s coastal ecosystem with seagrass that is available on the Odisha coast.

They are final-year B.Sc., (Biotechnology, Microbiology & Chemistry) students of Dr. Lankapalli Bullaya College, Visakhapatnam, and their environmental-friendly project is ‘Pioneering Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Restoring Seagrass Meadows in Visakhapatnam Coast’, in a Climate Tank Accelerator competition meant for five south Asian countries.

The students are T. Harshitha, A. Tejaambik, M. Ashwini and J. Karthikeya Narayana. Faculty member B. Madhavi among others are their guide.

Started working on the project in April 2024, their journey has gone through different tasks set in the competition, a collaborative initiative between the Student Society for Climate Change Awareness, and Seeds of Peace USA.

During a formal interaction with The Hindu here on Friday with the students and their guide, the students’ lead T. Harshitha said, “We were overjoyed to represent India in this international platform. Winning the competition for India and earning a 10-day fellowship in the USA with a reward money of $1,000 is a moment of immense pride and gratitude for our team. We thank every stakeholder for this achievement.”

Briefing the project, students narrated that seagrasses, often called “the lungs of the ocean,” play a vital role in combating climate change by absorbing more carbon dioxide than terrestrial plants. They stabilise coastal sediments, support marine life, and serve as vital blue carbon ecosystems.

“Here, we recognised seagrass’ importance and embarked on the project to restore the ecosystems along the Visakhapatnam coast. The journey began with the selection of two seagrass species, namely Halophila Ovalis and Halodule Pinifolia, from Chilika Lagoon in Odisha. These species were transported to Visakhapatnam for re-plantation at Mangamaripeta beach, between Vizag and Bheemili,” the students said.