Maharashtra’s mangrove cover increases by 4 sq km

The mangrove cover of Mumbai Suburban, however, decreases by 1.08 sq km

There is good as well as bad news for nature lovers. The mangrove cover in the state has increased by 4 sq km, however, that of the Mumbai Suburban has come down by 1.08 sq km, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021.

While Maharashtra’s mangrove cover rose to 324 sq km from 320 sq km, that of Mumbai Suburban decreased to 63.22 sq km from 64.03 sq km.  The city’s mangrove cover has remained the same at 2 sq km. In Maharashtra, the increase in mangrove cover is mainly due to natural regeneration.

Talking to mid-day, Virendra Tiwari, the additional principal chief conservator of forests and head of Mangroves Cell, Mumbai, said, “Out of 17 sq km increase in the country, Maharashtra’s contribution is 4 sq km, which is almost 25 per cent. This assessment is based on satellite mapping between November 19 and February 20. Efforts taken in the past two years are expected to reflect in the next report.”

Increase nationwide

According to the ISFR 2021 survey, the cover has increased by 17 sq km across India, as compared to assessment of 2019. Besides Maharashtra, the mangrove cover rose significantly in Odisha, by 8 sq km. 

The rise in Odisha is mainly due to natural regeneration plantation activities on suitable land, like on the banks of the rivers near the estuary and on intertidal mudflats associated with the areas that are inundated by the seawater daily. The increase in mangrove cover has been observed in the Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Balasore districts.

Species found in India

Important species of mangroves in India include avicennia alba, bruguiera cylindrica, heriteravlittoralid , phoenix paludosa, moringa, citrifolia and ceriops tagal.

Sundarban, in the northern Bay of Bengal, is the world’s largest single-patch mangrove forest. Spread over approximately 10,000 square kilometres across Bangladesh and India, Sundarban is the first mangrove forest in the world that was brought under scientific management in 1892.

The current assessment shows that India’s mangrove cover is 4,992 sq km, which is 0.15 per cent of the country’s total geographical area. About 1,475 sq km (29.55 per cent) of the cover is defined as very dense, 1,481 sq km (29.67 per cent) moderately dense and 2,036 sq km (40.78 per cent) of the area constitutes as open mangroves.

Forest cover in country

As per the survey, India’s forest cover is 7,13,789 sq km, which is 21.71 per cent of the country’s geographical area. There is an increase of 1,540 sq km, as compared to the 2019 assessment. The top five states with most increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh with 647 sq km, Telangana with 632 sq km, Odisha with 537 sq km, Karnataka with 155 sq km and Jharkhand with 110 sq km.

Tree cover

The tree cover—small patches outside the forest areas--is estimated to be 95,748 sq km, which is 2.91 per cent of India’s geographical area. There is an increase of 721 sq km.

324 sq km
State’s mangrove cover as per the 2021 assessment

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