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It is essential to declare mangroves reserve forests in view of their enormous importance in maintaining the marine ecosystem, according to experts.
They expressed the opinion at a two-day seminar on mangrove conservation, which concluded here on Thursday. It was organised by the Centre for Mangroves and Coastal Ecology.
K Kathiresan of the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology at the Annamalai University said mangroves are ecologically significant and economically important for preserving coastal biodiversity, protecting the coastlines and for increasing fish catch. India has a total area of 4,740 sq km under mangroves, with more than 4,000 species, and “what is required is the restoration of ecosystem services of mangrove areas, with community participation, financial support and strong political will.”
P Balakiran, District Collector of Kannur in Kerala, narrated his efforts and travails in getting 600 acres of mangrove area notified and emphasised the need for declaring mangrove areas as reserve forests to protect them. Many lands under mangroves were in private possession and they should also be bought and conserved, he added. He said he had bought 1,200 acres from private owners in Kannur district at ₹2 lakh per acre to conserve mangroves.
R Ramasubramanian and V Selvam of the Swaminathan Research Foundation spoke of their efforts in mangrove restoration in Andhra Pradesh near Kakinada and Machilipatnam.
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