Maharashtra: Key protocols to tackle mangrove damage ready

The Mangrove Dos and Donrsquots list is finally ready In a fourandahalfhour meeting on Tuesday the Mangroves Protection Committee decided on the protocol in case of mangrove damage and finalised directives for local entities on the collection of debris and mud dumped in mangrovesThe meeting took place under the chairmanship of Konkan Divisional Commissioner Dr Mahendra Kalyankar on Tuesday Kalyankar said that special efforts should be made to protect mangrove forests by coordinating with government agencies and immediately addressing complaintsAdditional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests APCCF and head of the mangrove cell SV Ram Rao was also present through video conference Also present were senior officials from other departments including Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and police and environmentalist Stalin DStalin D said that issues related to transferring mangrove forest areas to the Forest Department were also discussed in the presence of the nodal officers ldquoCrucial decisions on protocol to be followed in case of mangrove destruction were made Also clear instructions have been given to local bodies to clear debris and mud dumped in mangroves Failure to do so by local bodies will be viewed as contempt and will be brought to the notice of the courtrdquoAlso read Mumbai Woman tries to fire cook gets shock of her lifeOther decisions include installing CCTV cameras preparing maps of mangrove forests in the state taking highresolution satellite images of mangrove cover every six months taking preventive measures if worrying changes are found and filing criminal complaints and imposing penalties on private landowners to facilitate restorationThe India State of Forest Report 2021 states that the mangrove cover in Maharashtra has increased from 320 sq km in 2019 to 324 sq km in 2020 but the Mumbai suburban mangrove cover decreased by 108 sq km in 2020 compared to 2019 The Forest Survey of India has been assessing mangrove cover using remote sensing since 1987Worldwide mangrove coverAs per the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 FRA 2020 world over 113 countries have mangrove forests covering an estimated 1479 million hectares The largest mangrove area is reported in Asia at 55 million hectares followed by Africa with 324 million hectares North and Central America with 257 million hectares and South America with 213 million hectaresOceania has reported the smallest area of mangrove which is 130 million hectares More than 40 per cent of the total area of mangroves was reported to be in just four countries mdash Indonesia having 90 per cent of the total Brazil having 9 per cent of the total Nigeria having 7 per cent and Mexico 6 per centIn most countries the mangrove ecosystem faces constant pressure due to the increasing human population in coastal areas and the rising demand for land timber fodder fuel wood and other nonwoodforest productsSpecies of mangroves found in IndiaImportant species of mangrove ecosystem in India include Avicennia alba Bruguiera cylindrica heriteravlittoralid Pheonix pauldosa morinda citrifolia and ceriops tagal Sundarbans located in the northern Bay of Bengal is the worldrsquos largest single patch of mangrove forest It is spread over approximately 10000 square kilometres in Bangladesh and India Sundarbans is the first mangrove forest in the world which was brought under scientific management as early as 1892The current assessment 2021 shows that mangrove cover in the country is 4992 sqkm which is 015 per cent of the countryrsquos total geographical area Very dense mangrove cover comprises 1475 sqkm which is 2955 per cent of the mangrove cover Moderately dense mangrove is 1481 sqkm which is 2967 per cent while open mangroves constitute an area of 2036 sqkm which is 4078 per centAccording to the survey there has been a net increase of 17 sqkm in the mangrove cover of the country as compared to the 2019 assessment The states that show significant gain in mangrove cover are Odisha with 8 sqkm increase and Maharashtra with 4 sqkm increase In Maharashtra the increase in mangrove cover was mainly due to natural regeneration1479Area in mn ha of global mangroves113No of countries having mangroves