Land mafia and aquaculture are major reasons behind the destruction of mangroves, according to Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which held a national conclave on mangrove conservation at Bolgatty Palace here on Tuesday. Experts who participated in the conclave noted that climate change is another leading cause for depletion of mangroves. “Nearly 1/10th of Kochi will be underwater by 2050 with the ongoing trend of temperature and sea-level rise. Rising sea level is a major threat otherwise also, and in case of mangroves, it will be ruinous. Although Kerala tends to be an ideal spot for mangrove forests, there is only nine sq km of mangroves which is insufficient,” said Dr K Kathiresan, former director of centre of advanced study in marine biology. Creating awareness is the last concern for WTI in Kerala as it believes that the populace here is well aware already. “No Malayali is unaware. They are highly aware, but totally destructive in the head. Lots of mangrove areas have been cleared for construction by what the forest department call the land mafia. And on the other side the spread of aquaculture has destroyed a lot of mangroves,” said Vivek Menon, executive director and CEO of the Wildlife Trust of India. “The conclave is being held to promote the replication of mangrove conservation initiatives successfully carried out in places like Kannur,” said Menon. The conclaves also aim at involving youth, students and the public in conservation efforts by encouraging them to take saplings from WTI and plant them elsewhere, he said.. WTI has not run any awareness programmes here, because no awareness is needed, he added.