A final stakeholders consultation was held at Chennai on the 11th of October, 2011. The workshop provided an opportunity to share the results of the study on long term funding mechanisms for the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Project and the Trust formed to implement it. Among the 30 participants were representatives of civil society groups, research institutions, government departments and the UNDP, apart from officials from the Trust itself. Senior functionaries from the state and central government also attended the consultation which was chaired by the Principal Secretary, Environment, Govt. of TamilNadu. As part of preparation for the workshop, the executive summary of the report was circulated to all invitees and key functionaries of the Trust were provided with copies of the draft LTFM report. Discussions held during the workshop focused on the structural and functional changes required for the Trust to ensure its survival as a robust institution facilitating a long term and sustainable use of resources in this biodiversity hot spot. As pointed out during the introductory session, the purpose of the study and the consultation was not to evaluate the performance of the Trust, but to take informed and strategic decisions on its long term funding based on its  strengths and weaknesses. It was also noted that long term funding cannot be seen in isolation of the functions and therefore the structure of the organisation itself.