Mangroves: From 'Wastelands' to Coastal Saviours - India's Conservation Journey
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Mangrove Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Carbon Sequestration, Forest (Conservation) Act), Geography (Coastal landforms), Disaster Management (Role of mangroves as bioshields), Personalities in News (M.S. Swaminathan).
Mains:
GS Paper 1: Geographical features and their location.
GS Paper 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation; Disaster and disaster management.
Key Highlights from the News
Previously, the value of mangroves was primarily understood only by the coastal communities dependent on them.
Today, the world recognizes the importance of mangroves in coastal disaster risk reduction, carbon sequestration, increased fish stocks, and the protection of bird sanctuaries.
M.S. Swaminathan, a renowned scientist, played a crucial role in this change. As early as 1989, he argued that mangroves could withstand the impacts of climate change.
He also suggested that saline-tolerant crops could be developed using the genes of mangroves, which are capable of surviving in saltwater.
He was the founding president of the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), established in 1990.
Studies by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation proved that the destruction of mangroves in India was not due to the resource use by local communities, but rather the 'clear-felling' method that continued from the British era.
Based on this, hydro-ecological restoration methods like the 'fishbone canal method' were developed. This later paved the way for the Joint Mangrove Management program.
The role played by mangroves in protecting lives and property during the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami increased their importance worldwide.
According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, the area of mangroves in India is 4,991.68 square kilometers, showing an increase in recent years.
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