Green groups have welcomed the Union government’s new-found love for mangroves and wetlands but cautioned against environmental destruction under the guise of infrastructure development, according to a report.

During the Union Budget address, a proposal was made for a scheme to preserve mangroves. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitat and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) should be taken up for mangrove plantation wherever feasible.