Pinpointing priority areas for mangrove conservation in the Sundarbans

Pinpointing priority areas for mangrove conservation in the Sundarbans

Subject: ENVIRONMENT

Section: ECOSYSTEM

Context: A new study published in Scientific Reports has mapped priority areas in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve (SBR) that are highly suitable for mangrove conservation and restoration.

About Sunderbans

• It is a vast contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the coastal region of Bay of Bengal spread over India and Bangladesh on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers.
• The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes.
• It constitutes over60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area.
• Indian Sundarbans was recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019 and also a Biosphere Reserve in 1989.
• The area is known for its wide range of fauna, and is home to many rare and globally threatened wildlife species such as the Estuarine Crocodile, Royal Bengal Tiger, Water Monitor Lizard, Gangetic Dolphin and Olive Ridley Turtles.
• The Sunderbans Delta is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.
• For its preservation, Discovery India and World Wide Fund (WWF) India partnered with the Government of West Bengal and local communities in the Sundarbans in 2019.
• It is the world’s largest single block of mangrove and “is highly threatened and drastically reducing at an alarming rate due to the overexploitation of resources, land transformation for aquaculture practice, increase in paddy cultivation, infrastructural development, and human settlements

COP14 on wetlands

Aims and objectives of the COP-

• The Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) invites Parties and relevant stakeholders to join this international mangrove cooperation mechanism for technical exchanges, collaborative research, education and training, and pilot projects on conservation and restoration, to protect mangrove biodiversity and coastal blue carbon ecosystems, enhance mangrove ecosystem services and resilience to climate change.

What is Ramsar Recognition?

• A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, which is also known as the ‘Convention on Wetlands’ — an intergovernmental environmental treaty established by UNESCO in 1971, and named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed that year.
• Ramsar recognition is the identification of wetlands around the world, which are of international importance, especially if they provide habitat to waterfowl (about 180 species of birds).
• There is international interest and cooperation in the conservation of such wetlands and the judicious use of their resources.
• India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.
• No other South Asian country has as many sites though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.

Criteria: One of the nine criteria must be fulfilled to be the Ramsar Site.

• Criterion 1: If it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.
• Criterion 2: If it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
• Criterion 3: If it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.
• Criterion 4: If it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.
• Criterion 5: If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.
• Criterion 6: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.
• Criterion 7: If it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.
• Criterion 8: If it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
• Criterion 9: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non avian animal species.

Significance:

• Ramsar Tag helps develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits.
• Sites are protected under strict guidelines of the convention.

Mangrove Alliance for Climate

• An initiative led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) includes India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.
• It aims to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.
• The intergovernmental alliance works on a voluntary basis which means that there are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.
• The members will also share expertise and support each other in researching, managing and protecting coastal areas.

The current state of the mangroves

Geographical Location:

• Mangroves are found only along sheltered coastlines within 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.

Area Covered

• Global Mangrove Cover:
  • The total mangrove cover in the world is 1,50,000 sq kms.
  • Asia has the largest number of mangroves worldwide.
  • South Asia comprises 8% of the world’s mangrove cover.
  • India’s contribution is8% total mangrove cover in South Asia.

Mangroves in India:

• Coverage:
  • According to the India State of Forest Report, 2019, the mangrove cover in India is 4,975 sq km, which is 15% of the country’s total geographical area.
  • West Bengal has45% of India’s mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat at 23.66% and A&N Islands at 12.39%.

Largest Mangrove Forest:

• Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove forest regions in the world. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • The forest 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 Cauvery rivers contain mangrove forests.
  • The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forests.
  • Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forests. It is home to many aquatic bird species.

Significance of Mangroves-

• Ecologically mangroves are important in maintaining and building the soil, as a reservoir in the tertiary assimilation of waste.
• They provide protection against cyclones.
• Promotes land accretion, fixation of mud banks, dissipation of winds, tidal and wave energy.
• The dense tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides.
• Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides.
• Mangroves improve 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.
• 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.
• 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

• Commercialisation 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.
  • 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 has caused at least 35% of the overall loss of mangrove forests.
• 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.
• 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

• 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.
• International Society for Mangrove Ecosystem (ISME): The ISME is a non-governmental organization established in 1990 to promote the study of mangroves with the purpose of enhancing their conservation, rational management and sustainable utilization.
• 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 promoting 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.
• National Mangrove Committee: The Government of India set up a National Mangrove Committee in 1976 which advises the government about the conservation and development of mangroves.

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