Three promising outcomes from the world’s first official summit to conserve and restore mangroves

Three promising outcomes from the world’s first official summit to conserve and restore mangroves

Sub: Env

Sec: Int conventions

Mangrove Conservation Conference: Key insights-

• Proven Strategies for Restoration:
  • Mass planting often fails; a seascape and landscape approach is more effective.
  • Linking mangroves with seagrasses, corals, and rivers enhances ecological and socioeconomic benefits.
  • Community-led restoration is critical for long-term success.
  • Using the right species in the right locations supports natural regeneration, creating resilient mangrove forests.
• The Role of Sustainable Finance:
  • The initiative aims to raise $4 billion in sustainable funding for conservation and restoration.
  • Challenges:
    • Investors prioritize large, fast-return projects, which mismatches with the longer timelines needed for mangrove restoration.
    • Community-led projects often face funding bottlenecks and unfair financial pressure.

Blue Carbon:

• Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by oceanic and coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses.
• These ecosystems are crucial for mitigating climate change due to their ability to sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it in biomass and sediments.

Mangroves:

• Mangroves are salt-tolerant forests found along tropical and subtropical coastlines. They grow in intertidal zones, where land meets the sea, and are uniquely adapted to thrive in saline, waterlogged conditions. These ecosystems are critical for ecological balance, biodiversity conservation, and human livelihoods.

Importance of Mangroves:

• Carbon Sequestration: Mangroves store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests, helping mitigate climate change.
• Coastal Protection: They buffer coastal areas against erosion, tropical storms, and tsunamis, reducing damage to communities and infrastructure.
• Biodiversity Hotspots: Home to diverse species of fish, crabs, mollusks, and migratory birds, contributing to marine and terrestrial biodiversity.
• Livelihood Support: Provide resources like fish, timber, and honey, supporting millions of coastal livelihoods globally.
• Water Quality Improvement: Mangroves filter pollutants and sediments, improving coastal water quality.

Global Status of Mangroves:

• Area Coverage: Mangroves occupy an estimated 14.8 million hectares worldwide, spanning 123 countries and territories.
  • Top Mangrove-Holding Countries: Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, and Nigeria.
• Mangrove Loss:
  • Over 1 million hectares of mangroves have been lost since 1996.
  • Deforestation, aquaculture, agriculture, urbanization, and climate change are primary threats.
• Restoration Potential:
  • Approximately 70% of lost mangroves are restorable, but mature forests are irreplaceable.

Key Global Conservation Initiatives:

• Global Mangrove Alliance:
  • Launch at the World Ocean Summit in 2018.
  • A multi-stakeholder coalition focused on halting mangrove loss, restoring degraded areas, and doubling conservation coverage.
  • In 2022, the GMA revised its Goal, an ambitious plan for turning the tables on the world’s mangroves. The plan contains three critical strands to be achieved by 2030: Halt loss, Restore half, Double protection.
• Mangrove Breakthrough Initiative:
  • Aims to raise $4 billion in sustainable financing, stop human-driven mangrove loss, and restore half of recently lost mangroves.
  • A global strategy led by the Global Mangrove Alliance.

Three primary goals:

1. Stop human-driven mangrove loss.
2. Double the area of mangroves under effective conservation.
3. Restore half of the recently lost mangroves.

• Global Mangrove Watch:
  • Provides open-access remote sensing data for mapping mangroves and planning restoration.

Mangroves in India:

• Area Coverage:
  India has 4,992 square kilometres of mangroves, about 3.3% of the world’s total mangrove area.
  • Top Mangrove States in India: West Bengal: Largest area, dominated by the Sundarbans mangroves (43% of India’s total), Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra

Conservation Efforts in India:

• Policy Framework:
  • Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification: Protects mangroves from destructive activities.
  • National Mangrove Committee: Advises on conservation and management.
• Afforestation and Restoration:
  • Community participation in mangrove planting and natural regeneration, especially in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• International Initiatives:
  • India is part of the Global Mangrove Alliance and other global conservation efforts.