MANGROVES FOR COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Presented in Workshop on
Environmental Stability Through Preservation and Restorations of the Ecological Balance
Sirsi, Uttara Kannada 29-30 October 2010 KSCST & Forestry College, Sirsi Dr. M. Jayakara Bhandary Department of Botany Government Arts and Science College Karwar 581301 mbjaikar@gmail.com

Coasts are very important!

Coastal Areas of the World - Resource Rich Most inhabited, Exploited Geographical Units Supports 50% Global Population Provides 90% global fish supply Sink for 90% of River load/Pollutants

Anything that affects the Coastal Ecological Balance affect smajority of People on Earth!

Demand for Space & Resources

Rich & Productive

Tourism Potential

Serene & Beautiful

Coastal Environment

Critical & Changing

Globally Significant
Modified from: Sudarshan et al., 2000, Subtle Issues in Coastal Management, IIRS

Needs Protection & Conservation

Fragile & Prone for Natural Disasters.

Super Cyclone (1999) Winds of 160 mile speed, More than 10,000 deaths, Coast of Orissa washed away! Deadly Tsunami (2004) Waves of 10 mt height, 10,880 deaths (in India), Total about 2,30,000, 13 countries affected. Worst hit Indonesia, Thailand, Srilanka & India. Floods

Post- Disaster Analysis.. Eye Openers on the ecological value of Coastal Ecosystems!?
Mangroves were associated with statistically significant reductions in human deaths during the cyclone that struck the eastern coast of India in October 1999. 1999.
Source: Mangroves protected villages and reduced death toll during Indian super cyclone, Saudamini Das and Jeffrey R. Vincent, 2009 www.pnas.org_cgi_doi_10.1073_pnas.0810440106

Pre-tsunamiSimulation models illustrated that a wide (100 m) belt of dense mangrove trees (referred to as a greenbelt) could reduce a tsunami pressure flow by more than 90% (Hiraishi and Harada, 2003).

Post tsunamiIn an area of S.E. India there was significantly less damage where mangroves had been conserved (Danielsen et al., 2005; Science)

Ecological Value of MANGROVES rediscovered?

What are Mangroves?

Mangroves are woody plants that grow along the landsea interface, bays, estuaries, lagoons, backwaters, and in the rivers, reaching upstream up to the point where the water still remains saline (Qasim, l998). These plants and their associated organisms (microbes, fungi, other plants and animals) constitute the mangrove forest community or mangal. The mangal and its associated abiotic factors constitute the mangrove ecosystem.

Global Distribution.

120 tropical and Sub tropical Countries.

18.1 milion ha.

Source: Spalding et al., 1997, The World Mangrove Atlas

Mangroves of India.
Occurs along the East Coast (80%) and West Coast (20%). 3-4% of Global Extent Area estimates range from 7 lac ha. to 3.6 lac ha. 4,639 Km2 - 2007 Sundarbans, Mahanadi Delta, Picchavaram, Cauvery Delta, GodavariKrishna Estuarine Complex, Andaman-Nicobar Islands notable mangrove locations.

State-wise mangrove cover -2005

(in sq. km.)

Speciality of Sundarbans..
Contains 37 species of 'obligate' mangrove plants stretched over an area of 2,200 km2 km2, the largest diversity of mangrove plants on the Globe. Globe. This is also the only mangrove area on earth that is inhabited by tigers. tigers. It also contains 127 species of euryhaline fish, a total of 1287 animal species comprising 873 invertebrates, one species of Hemichordata, Hemichordata, and 413 species of vertebrates. vertebrates.

Mangroves of Karnataka
Official Estimates 2 - 3 Km2 Underestimated! Along estuaries, Fringing Type Kali, Aghanashini, Sharavathi, Kundapura, Nethravathi main locations Fragmented Patches

Mangroves of Kali Estuary 14 out of 15 True mangrove species of Karnataka grow here

Floral Diversity
Global About 90 species India East Coast 60 species West Coast 34 species True Mangroves- Exclusive mangroves Mangrove Associates Also found outside mangrove habitats Rhizophoraceae, Avicenniaceae, Sonneratiaceae Major families

Mangrove diversity..

Excoecaria agallocha
Aegiceras corniculatum

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza Acrostichum aureum Lumnitzera racemosa (Mangrove fern)

Species Diversity

Mangrove associates
Derris spp. Clerodendrum sp. Premna sp. Pongamia sp. Cyperus sp. Canavalia sp.
Dolichandrone spathaceae

Caesalpina crista

Biological Speciality Highly adapted to mangrove habitats

Vivipary

ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Coastal Shore Protection Bioshields Breeding Ground for crabs, shrimps, Fishes Tsunami/Cyclone Protection ? Nutrient source for marine Food Web Habitat for Birds, other animals Source of Firewood and other domestic needs Carbon Sequestering Eco-Tourism Spots Educational/Research materials

mangrove forests sustain more than 70 direct human activities, ranging from fuelwood collection to fisheries (Dixon, 1989; Lucy, 2006). Fix greater amounts of CO2 per unit area, than what the phytoplankton do in the tropical oceans (Kathiresan & Bingham, 2001). capable of accumulating and storing carbon in the soil in large quantities. A 20year old plantation of mangroves stores 11.6 kg m2 of carbon with C burial rate of 580 g m2 yr1 (Fujimoto, 2000) support 30% of fish catch and almost 100% of shrimp catch in South-East Asian countries

THREATSMost threatened!
Deforestation / Land reclamation Sand/Shell mining Prawn/fish Farming Reduction in Freshwater discharge Tourism activities/ Other coastal developmental Pressures

The planet has lost 35% of its mangrove forests over the last twenty years. The rate of loss of mangroves each year tops the loss of the rainforest at 2.1%
The countries that were hit hardest by the tsunami Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand have experienced recent net losses of mangrove cover. Between 1980 2000, the total area of mangroves in these four countries was reduced by 28%%, from over 5 million to 3.6 million hectares.

Photo: Gertrud & Helmut Denzau/Sanctuary Photolibrary

Mangroves sequester carbon but could be climate changes first victims.

Conservation
Protected Areas Sundarban, Gulf of Mannar ( BR), Bhitar Kannika (NP), Coringa Sanctuary, etc. About 16, 500 ha Afforestation / Enhancement Inventorisation / Survey Public Education / Awareness Local Involvement / Economic Incentives National Programme MOEF 1986-87

Thank you..