LocationsBy Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
In Andhra Pradesh’s Coringa, Protecting Nature Is a Way of Life
October 23, 2026
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Kakinada District, Andhra Pradesh.
Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
A Life Shaped by the Forest
On the Godavari estuary near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh lies Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, home to one of India's largest mangrove ecosystems.
Mr. M. Satyanarayana, 66 years old, like many others in Chollangipeta, Kakinada once relied on the forest completely: grazing their dairy cattle in the mangroves, cutting timber for their homes, and gathering firewood for daily cooking.
M. Satyanarayana, Chairperson of the Eco-Development Committee Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, has devoted his life to restoring and protecting mangrove ecosystems.
Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
"In those days, we never thought about conservation. The forest was our source of wood, fodder and livelihood. We cut mangrove trees to build our homes and collected firewood for cooking because that was how everyone lived,” Mr. Satyanarayana recalls.
A New Understanding
That changed in 1978, when Coringa was declared a wildlife sanctuary and protecting its mangroves meant rethinking how communities could use the forest.
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department worked closely with villagers from the start - running awareness programmes and holding regular conversations to explain why the mangroves needed protecting, and what the community stood to gain by protecting them.
For Mr. Satyanarayana and others like him, that shift also had to make economic sense. The Forest Department began offering four to six months of guaranteed seasonal work each year - planting saplings, desilting channels, keeping the site maintained - giving families a steady income to fall back on alongside their farming and dairy work in the off-season. It was this, as much as anything, that turned daily wage-earners into long-term custodians of the forest.
Gradually, perceptions changed. The forest was no longer seen simply as a source of wood and fodder, but as a natural shield protecting the coastline. As this understanding grew, villages around the sanctuary established Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) to lead restoration efforts on the ground. Mr. Satyanarayana was among the first to step forward, taking on the role of EDC Chairperson in the early 2000s.
Strengthening Restoration Through ECRICC
The Enhancing Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities (ECRICC) project brought new scientific tools to Coringa's community-led model - satellite monitoring and hydrological data layered on top of the EDC members' years of on-ground experience.
Between 2023 and 2025, 792 hectares were restored under the project, helping establish dense and diverse mangrove stands.
Community members working at mangrove restoration activities at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
A Forest Returning
Where the mudflats were once degraded and bare, these restored stands are now flowering and producing seedlings on their own, spreading naturally into the open patches around them - signs that the forest is beginning to regenerate on its own, without needing to be replanted tree by tree.
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary's thriving mangrove forests form a natural shield against coastal hazards while supporting diverse wildlife.
Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
Women Leading Restoration
Women have been central to Coringa's success. Around 50 to 60 women from nearby coastal settlements came together to run mangrove nurseries, learning through trial and error that saplings raised in a nursery first, then transplanted, survived far better than seeds sown directly into the mudflats.
Over two decades of hands-on restoration work, the Coringa EDC grew from a group of local laborers into skilled restoration practitioners in their own right. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has since deputed Coringa EDC members to train forest staff and communities elsewhere in the state, including at Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary and the difficult coastal tracts of Krishnapatnam in Nellore.
Women nurturing mangrove seedlings, strengthening coastal resilience through community-led ecosystem restoration
Samuel Bathula / UNDP India
A Change of Heart
Today, Coringa's mangroves are doing more than protecting the coastline. They are supporting livelihoods, strengthening biodiversity and showing how communities can play a leading role in restoring nature.
Today, Satyanarayana sees the mangroves very differently from the forests he knew growing up. What was once a source of daily necessities has become something he and his community actively protect. Dona Srinu and Kommapalpudi Sanyasi Rao, mentored by M. Satyanarayana, now work alongside him in the EDC, a testament to the enduring impact of his leadership and the legacy of conservation he has built. Collaborative restoration of tidal channels in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, enhancing hydrological connectivity for resilient mangrove ecosystems.
"Today, after spending years restoring these forests, every sapling feels like our own child. Even when we have to cut a small branch to make a pathway for desilting or maintenance work, it pains us. What was once an open, degraded area has now become a thick forest. Looking at it today fills us with pride. We know that our hard work will protect our children and safeguard our coastline for generations to come," says Mr. Satyanarayana.
About ECRICC - The Enhancing Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities (ECRICC) project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the funding support from the Green Climate Fund and UNDP as an accredited entity. The project supports nature-based solutions to protect and restore India's coastlines while helping coastal communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.