"Made this illustration for Mumbai’s depleting mangroves a few days ago, and unfortunately didn’t get around to finishing it. The timeline for submission of this entry has passed but the threat to these mangroves still persists. And today happens to be a great day to share it as we celebrate our environment and bring awareness to important issues that we’re facing.

The Mangroves ecosystem is one of the most rapidly declining forests in the world. These entangled forests not only act as a natural defence line for our coasts but also nurture so many beautiful species of flora and fauna. Mumbai’s mangroves are spread across the seven islands preserved by the native Koli community for many generations. Without these natural barriers, there would be no protection to our coastlines from the ongoing coastal erosion. Today these mangroves are in immense danger, threatened by human development projects like coastal roads and climate change which forces sea levels to rise. This has severely impacted the dense coastal biodiversity found in these Mangroves. With global warming, sea rise is inevitable, and the need to protect these beautiful forests more so.

We cannot turn back what is lost. What we can do is preserve what we have left."