Mumbai, 06th June, 2019: Godrej & Boyce’s Mangrove mobile app has now been made available in 10 Indian languages of the coastal states and enhanced by 43 new species taking the total to 67 species in all. Launched in 2017 in English, this app is a first of its kind in Asia. It is available on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms in regional languages Gujarati, Marathi, Konkani, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malyalam, Odiya and Bengali, in addition to Hindi.
Anup Mathew, Senior Vice President & Business Head, Godrej Construction, a business of Godrej & Boyce said, “For decades, Godrej has been committed towards the conservation of mangroves and its thriving ecosystem. Our primary aim for launching the Mangroves App was to help people become more aware of the importance of this ecosystem. By making it available in 11 Indian languages, we hope to reach out to a larger audience and help propagate the importance of environmental conservation.”
The Mangrove app users can choose to identify the species based on leaf shape, flower colour and name of the species. Besides the identification feature, the app offers other interesting information such as description of every plant species and its uses, mangrove distribution and ecosystem, plant adaptations, faunal biodiversity in mangroves, current threats and conservation measures, role of stakeholders, glossary of technical terms and information about mangroves in Vikhroli (Mumbai). The App would benefit teachers, students, Forest Department officials of the coastal Indian states, NGOs involved in biodiversity research, conservation and awareness, mangrove researchers, nature enthusiasts and nature photographers going to the mangroves.
About Good & Green:
At Godrej, our sustainability strategy Good & Green is driven by the desire to help create a more inclusive and greener India. Launched in 2011 as one of our four key imperatives for 2020, Good & Green is based on shared value, a principle that aligns business competitiveness and growth with social and environmental impact. At its root lies the idea that companies can help solve critical social issues while strengthening their competitive advantage. By 2020, we aspire to create a more employable Indian workforce, build a greener India, and innovate for ‘good’ and ‘green’ products. ‘Good’ products are designed to address a critical social issue (e.g. healthcare and sanitation) for consumers at the base of the income pyramid. ‘Green’ products are those that are environmentally sustainable.
About Godrej Mangrove Project:
Godrej's Pirojshanagar Township, spread across the Vikhroli suburb of Mumbai and host to about 50000 employees, residents and visitors every day, is a role model of an integrated sustainable habitat. The ISO 14001:2015 certified Township includes the mangroves that have more than 7000 visitors every year. It is scientifically managed with a three-pronged approach of Research, Conservation and Awareness. Since the 1990s, the mangrove area of Godrej Township is used for various mangrove awareness programs conducted by the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre. The modulated programs are designed as per the requirements of target groups and contain in-depth information of mangrove ecosystem and other flora and dependent fauna, Godrej’s conservation initiatives, importance of mangroves and threats to them and role of stakeholders in conservation of mangrove ecosystem.
These programs are supported by educational infrastructure such as mangrove trails, view-points, butterfly, medicinal and palm gardens, library and a mangrove information centre developed by Godrej. These mangrove awareness programs have become a usual feature with several schools and colleges of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Considering the immense benefits offered by Godrej through its mangrove conservation initiatives to the society, the organization has been felicitated with 'Green Governance Award' in 2005 from the then honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.