Game of Thrones’ star bats for Odisha’s efforts to protect mangrove

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s mangrove restoration efforts were highlighted in a documentary series, hosted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in the TV series Game of Thrones, emphasising the impact of community-led action.

The mangrove restoration story is featured in the second season of the Bloomberg Originals series An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet, hosted by Coster-Waldau.

The season premiered on Wednesday, features a segment on Odisha’s mangrove restoration under the Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities initiative (ECRICC), a collaboof Green Climate Fund, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and the department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, supported by the UNDP.

The first episode, titled ‘Protect’, follows Coster-Waldau to Bagapatia village in Kendrapara district, where communities displaced by rising sea levels and coastal erosion are rebuilding their lives through climate-resilient practices. It captures how local women and men are restoring mangroves and