In an effort to prevent the destruction of the Gulf of Mannar, one of the last remaining intact ecosystems on earth and home to the controversial Ram Sethu, prominent ecologists, academics, scientists and religious leaders from around the world will gather in London next week.

The meeting, called by The Living Planet Foundation (USA), will be held at the Linnean Society of London, on Tuesday (November 25) and Wednesday (November 26). Among those making presentations at the meeting will be Martin Palmer, Secretary General, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (UK); Peter Bunyard, co-founder of The ecologist magazine, and a respected worldwide authority on climate change (UK); Susan Denyer, Secretary, International Council on Monuments and Sites UK; Christoph Schwarte, Staff Lawyer, The Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (UK); Professor Anantanand Rambachan, Professor and Chair of Religion, Saint Olaf College, Minnesota (USA); Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna Lecturer, Mahendradatta University (Bali); Dr. Ranil Senanayake, a leading systems ecologist who has worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (Sir Lanka); Ritwick Dutta, Member, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (India) and Shalina Sital, Global Human Rights Defence (The Netherlands).

The Gulf of Mannar is a shallow stretch of water separating India from Sri Lanka. Despite its important ecological and cultural significance as one of South Asia’s largest biosphere reserves, the Indian Government is pressing ahead with plans to build a shipping channel - the Sethusamudram Ship Channel - right through it, threatening the numerous endangered plant and animal species that live there, as well as the livelihood of local fishermen.