PEOPLE AND THEIR PROBLEMS

New Delhi, 5 November 2005

Joint Management Programme

NEED TO PRESERVE MANGROVE FORESTS

 By Radhakrishna Rao

The deadly and destructive Tsunami waves of December last, which battered many of the coastal settlements along the Bay of Bengal, could hardly cause any damage in areas such as Point Calimere, Muthupettai and Pitchavaram in Tamil Nadu on account of the dense and luxuriant mangrove forest cover. It is not for nothing that Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has all along been strongly advocating the need to preserve rich mangroves which grow in abundance in brackish wetlands between the land and the sea where other types of vegetation cannot survive.

In fact, they protect the coastline and prevent erosion by collecting sediments from the rivers and streams and slowing down the flow of water. The widespread tidal storms that  devastate the low-lying areas of Bangladesh, causing  widespread death and destruction each year is traced to the wholesale destruction of mangrove forests, which act as a natural buffer against strong winds and waves produced by cyclones.

Incidentally, Tamil Nadu has the second-largest mangrove cover after the famous Sunderbans in West Bengal.  With a view to restore the degraded mangroves to their original condition, the Forest Department of Tamil Nadu has joined hands with the MSSRF for the implementation of the Joint Mangrove Management Programme, with the active participation of the local community.

A recent study by the Nilgiris-based Wildlife Protection Group points out that the dense growth of the mangrove cover came to the rescue of animals including the highly endangered black buck and wild boars at Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary on the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

According to A.D. Barurah, warden of the sanctuary, the thick evergreen mangrove forests in Point Calimere and nearby Muthupettai lagoon helped neutralize the impact of deadly Tsunami waves. It is a well-known fact the ecologically significant and biologically diverse mangrove forests are a good neutralizer of marine contamination and serve as a natural habitat for a variety of flora and fauna.

However, as in other parts of the world, in India too, mangrove forests have become most threatened habitats. "Mangroves have been destroyed as a result of human activities.  The roots of mangrove plants stabilize the sand and mud.  Wherever mangroves are removed for developmental purposes, the coastline gets subjected to rapid erosion", says N.J. James, Habitat Science Teaching Community, Trichur in Kerala. Marine biologists point out that a number of organisms like fish, shrimp, prawn and other fauna spend entire or part of their life cycle in the mangrove eco system.  Pictures of the Indian mangroves taken by earth observation satellites point out to the rapid thinning out of their density.

The major mangrove pockets in India are found along the eastern coast where the tidal amplitude is quiet prominent. The thick-wooded Sunderbans famous for their Royal Bengal Tiger form the single-largest patch of mangrove forest with a spread of 4262 sq. km. The Sunderbans in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta is the only mangroves stretch inhabited by tigers.  A vital component of the marine eco system, mangroves serve as the main nursery of shrimps along the coastal stretch. Mangrove wetlands also provide to the local community, timber as well as non-wood products such as fodder, honey and wax.

In Thailand, milk fish and shrimp catch from intensely managed mangroves have gone up substantially following the implementation of a conservation strategy and sustainable exploitation of the resources.  In countries such as Australia and the Philippines where mangrove conservation has official backing some progress has been made in regulating their exploitation through various means, including the issue of licences and permits.

Unfortunately, in India there is no stringent and uniform law covering the exploitation and management of mangrove forests. Not long ago, mangroves used to be treated as a part of the wasteland between land and sea. According to marine biologists, the major causative factor for the rapid disappearance of mangrove forests include indiscriminate tree felling for fuel, fodder and timber and their thoughtless conversion into aqua-cultural ponds along with a lack of interest in developing them.

The mangroves in the delta of Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna as well as Saurashtra and Kutch are all facing a serious threat to their existence. A study conducted by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has estimated that the total area of mangroves in Orissa is 225 sq. km. According to ecologists, 1950s witnessed a depletion of over 2,500 hectares of mangroves along the Orissa coast to make room for Paradip Port.

Similarly, over 100 sq. km of mangroves were clear felled to make room for coconut plantations and paddy fields.  The massive destruction suffered by Andaman group of islands during Tsunami has been traced to widespread destruction of mangrove forests in the island to make room for a variety of developmental projects.

With a view to conserve the rich mangrove heritage of India as many as 15 mangroves’ rich areas in India have been declared as "national biosphere reserve". These include Sunderabans and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The best preserved mangrove forest in India is found at Pitchavaram in Tamil Nadu which not long back was a popular locale for shooting Tamil films.---INFA

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