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W.B. government announces Mangrove Cell on International Day of Mangrove Ecosystem
 
Context: 
West Bengal which is home to about 40% of mangrove forests in India, announced the setting up of a ‘Mangrove Cell’ in the State, on the occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

MANGROVES ECOSYSTEM:  
·         A Mangrove is a small tree or shrub that grows along coastlines, taking root in salty sediments, often underwater.
·         The word ‘mangrove’ may refer to the habitat as a whole or to the trees and shrubs in the mangrove swamp.
·         Mangroves are flowering trees, belonging to the families Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae, Lythraceae, Combretaceae, and Arecaceae.

Features of Mangroves:  
·         Saline environment: They can survive under extreme hostile environments such as high salt and low oxygen conditions.
·         Low oxygen: Underground tissue of any plant needs oxygen for respiration. But in a mangrove environment, the oxygen in soil is limited or nil. Hence the mangrove root system absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere.
·         Mangroves have special roots for this purpose called breathing roots or pneumatophores. These roots have numerous pores through which oxygen enters the underground tissues.
·         Survival in Extreme Conditions: With their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions that would quickly kill most plants.
·         Succulent leaves: Mangroves, like desert plants, store fresh water in thick succulent leaves. A waxy coating on the leaves seals in water and minimises evaporation.
·         Viviparous: Their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows into a propagule. The mature propagule then drops into the water and gets transported to a different spot, eventually taking root in a solid ground.
 
Geographical Location: 
·         Mangroves are found only along sheltered coastlines within the tropical or subtropical latitudes because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures.
·         They share the unique capability of growing within reach of the tides in salty soil.

Global Mangrove Cover:  
·         The total mangrove cover in the world is one 1,50,000 sq kms.
·         Asia has the largest number of mangroves worldwide.
·         South Asia comprises 6.8% of the world's mangrove cover.
·         India's contribution is 45.8% total mangrove cover in South Asia.
 
Mangroves in India: 
India's contribution is 45.8% total mangrove cover in South Asia.
According to the Indian State Forest Report 2021, Mangrove cover in India is 4992 sq. Km which is 0.15% of the country's total geographical area.
West Bengal has 42.45% of India’s mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat 23.66% and A&N Islands 12.39%.
·         Sundarbans in West Bengal are the largest mangrove forest regions in the world. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, Gangetic dolphins and Estuarine crocodiles.
·         Bhitarkanika Mangroves: The second largest mangrove forest in India is Bhitarkanika in Odisha created by the two river deltas of River Brahmani and Baitarani.
It is one of the most significant Ramsar wetlands in India.
·         Godavari-Krishna Mangroves, Andhra Pradesh: The Godavari-Krishna mangroves extend from Odisha to Tamil Nadu.
·         The deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and the Cauvery rivers contain mangrove forests. 
·         The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forest. 
·         Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forests. 

Significance of Mangroves:  
·         Ecological Stabilisation: Ecologically mangroves are important in maintaining and building the soil, as a reservoir in the tertiary assimilation of waste. They provide protection against cyclones.
·         They play a significant role in promoting land accretion, fixation of mud banks, dissipation of winds, tidal and wave energy.
·         Mangroves and Tides: The dense tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides. Most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day.
·         Coastal Stabilisation: Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides.
·         Water Purification: Mangroves improve the water quality by absorbing nutrients from runoff that might otherwise cause harmful algal blooms offshore. Both coral reefs and seagrass beds rely on the water purifying ability of mangrove forests to keep the water clear and healthy.
·         Storing Blue Carbon: Mangroves make up less than 2% of marine environments but account for 10-15% of carbon burial. Once the leaves and older trees die they fall to the seafloor and take the stored carbon with them to be buried in the soil.
·         This buried carbon is known as “Blue carbon” because it is stored underwater in coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests, seagrass beds and salt marshes.
·         Supporting Biodiversity: The mangrove ecosystem also supports an incredible diversity of creatures including some species unique to mangrove forests.
·         They provide habitat and refuge to a wide array of wildlife such as birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals and plants.

Threats Faced by Mangroves:  
·         Commercialization of Coastal Areas: Aquaculture, coastal development, rice and palm oil farming and industrial activities are rapidly replacing these salt-tolerant trees and the ecosystems they support.
·         According to UNESCO, mangroves are disappearing at three to five times faster rate than overall losses of global forest cover in the face of infrastructure development, urbanisation and agricultural land conversion.
·         Mangrove coverage has shrunk by half in the last 40 years. Less than 1% of tropical forests are mangroves.
·         Shrimp Farms: The emergence of shrimp farms have caused at least 35% of the overall loss of mangrove forests. The rise of shrimp farming is a response to the increasing appetite for shrimp in the United States, Europe, Japan and China in recent decades.
·         Temperature Related Issues: A fluctuation of ten degrees in a short period of time is enough stress to damage the plant and freezing temperatures for even a few hours can kill some mangrove species.
·         Soil Related Issues: The soil where mangroves are rooted poses a challenge for plants as it is severely lacking in oxygen.
·         Most plants can easily take oxygen from gases trapped within the surrounding soil, but for mangrove roots this is not an option as not only their roots underground, they are also flooded with water up to two times a day.
·         Excessive Human Intervention: During past changes in sea level, mangroves were able to move further inland, but in many places human development is now a barrier that limits how far a mangrove forest can migrate.
·         Mangroves also frequently suffer from oil spills.

Conservation of Mangroves:  
  
Global Initiatives:
UNESCO Designated Sites: The inclusion of mangroves in Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage sites and UNESCO Global Geoparks contributes to improving the knowledge, management and conservation of mangrove ecosystems throughout the world.
Blue Carbon Initiative: The International Blue Carbon Initiative is focused on mitigating climate change through the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.
It is coordinated by Conservation International (CI), IUCN, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission-UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO).
International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem: UNESCO celebrates this day on July 26 with the aim of raising awareness about mangrove ecosystems and to promote their sustainable management and conservation.
Mangroves for the Future Initiative: IUCN and UNDP developed a unique initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation called the “Mangroves for the Future (MFF)”.
The member nations include Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC):
·         During the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the UAE and Indonesia announced the "Mangrove Alliance for Climate."
·         It includes UAE, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.
·         It seeks to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.
·         However, the intergovernmental alliance works on a voluntary basis which means that there are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.

Indian Initiatives:  
National Mangrove Committee: The Government of India set up a National Mangrove Committee in 1976 which advises the government about conservation and development of mangroves.
Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI):
·         MISHTI is a new programme that will facilitate mangrove plantation along India’s coastline and on salt pan lands.
·         The programme will operate through convergence between MGNREGS, Campa Fund and other sources. This new programme will aim at intensive afforestation of coastal mangrove forests.
State Specific Initiatives:
·         The state of Gujarat uses direct seed sowing, raised bed plantations, and fishbone channel plantations to restore degraded mangroves.
·         State of Andhra Pradesh has established Eco-DEvelopment Committees and Van Samrakshan Samithi to implement conservation projects in mangrove areas.
·         The state of Maharashtra has been implementing restoration, protection, regeneration, and maintenance techniques to conserve mangroves.
·         West Bengal which is home to about 40% of mangrove forests in India, announced the setting up of a ‘Mangrove Cell’ in the State. This platform will bring certain continuity to the efforts of State government in mangrove management.
A pilot project of setting up a sustainable aquaculture system in a mangrove ecosystem is being taken up at a village at Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district under the banner of ‘Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem’ (SAIME).
 
Best Case Study:
  
The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project: 
·         It is a bright example. It saw women take a central leadership role with their efforts to increase the resilience of Guyana’s coasts against flooding and coastal erosion. 
·         Women were most severely impacted upon by coastal flooding and erosion of Guyana’s coast. Women were provided with resources for economic empowerment and capacity building trainings.
·         As a result of these positive measures, women got positively involved with various activities like honey production, tourism activities and mangrove cultivation.
·         The active participation of women catalysed the formation of a women-led volunteer organisation for mangrove awareness and restoration as well as the ‘Mangrove Cooperative Society’ to support other women with training and resources on activities like beekeeping.

Mangroves and related SDGs:  
Nurturing and nourishing mangroves helps in achieving many SDGs. 
The importance of restoration and protection of mangroves is amply reflected in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 that is Conserving Life below Water. But Restoring mangrove forests also supports the achievement of many other SDGs like:
·         Eliminating poverty and hunger (SDG 1 and SDG 2),
·         Ensuring livelihoods and economic growth (SDG 8),
·         Taking actions against climate change impacts (SDG 13) and
·         Halting biodiversity loss (SDG 15). 
  
Mains Question:
  Q: Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.