‘Worldwide, a fifth of them [mangroves] have already disappeared’ reads a July 2023 coverage by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). The pace with which these salt-tolerant wetland species are being wiped off is unsettling. One would almost begin to assume their role is negligible.
But that’s where the mangroves themselves urge us to rethink.
The UNEP report is a comprehensive glance at the critical role that these tropical trees play in ensuring the planet’s wheels function well. Being “one of the only trees that thrive in salty waters”, mangroves act as “nurseries” for over 1,500 plant and animal species that live in the coastal belts. As if that wasn’t impressive, they make for effective carbon sinks — storing an average of 1,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare in their biomass and underlying soils, the report states.
The point has been made — mangroves are vital to existence. Today, we take a look at seven heroes who have braved both society and murky waters to make mangrove protection a priority.
1. Ayush Sarda
Do thoughts of climate change hassle you? Well, they sure left 25-year-old Ayush Sarda hassled.
So, when he discovered green gold in the form of a plant species with the potential to prevent the progression of climate change, he decided to dedicate efforts to protecting it. The Kolkata native joined hands with NGO Sundarban Foundation and, through the project ‘Ek Packet Umeed’ has planted 40,000 mangrove trees in the Gosaba region of Bali Island in the Sundarbans. Sarda’s vision is to plant a total of 100,000 mangrove trees over the next two years, he says.
“Through this, we want to combat Kolkata’s rising temperatures. This initiative has created a significant impact on Bali Island by preventing seawater and freshwater from mixing and acting as an environmental barrier to reduce the intensity of cyclones hitting the island,” he mentions.
2. Seema Adgaonkar
As per the India State of Forest Report, 2021, the mangrove cover in the country has been estimated at 4,992 sq km. Compared to 2019 statistics, there is a net increment of 17 sq km. This is thanks to conservationists who have made mangrove restoration their top priority.
One of them is former Range Forest Officer (RFO), Mumbai’s Seema Adgaonkar. She is a picture of resilience; not deterred by goons and garbage that she encounters daily while striving to enhance the city’s mangrove cover.
Adgaonkar’s stint in the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit — a body that specialises in the conservation of mangroves and protection of swamps, introduced her to the perennial turmoil that these plants endured. Through her work, she wants to highlight how Mumbai holds so much potential in terms of mangrove cover.
In a 2019 interview with The Better India, she pointed out, “It [Mumbai] is a unique city that has its own coral reef and is surrounded by mangrove forests that guard it. These forests are like soldiers in the coastal area, serving as a safety-belt, against natural disasters like floods and tsunamis.”
In 2018, the group planted two million mangrove seedlings across the coast of Maharashtra.
3. Murukesan
Born into a fishing family, Murukesan has been fishing since he was 20 years old. Growing up near the coast, he realised that as the mangroves’ number went down, the region felt the damage from the cyclones far more deeply. Troubled by it, he decided to dedicate his life to a noble cause.
“I have planted more than 1 lakh mangrove plants till now,” he proudly declares. It is no surprise that the people in his native village in Kochi hail him as the ‘Mangrove Man’ for his efforts to protect these shrubs that grow along tidal estuaries.
When, in 2013, he embarked on a mission to plant mangroves along Kerala’s shorelines, it seemed a daunting task. But today, the thriving microbiome is a nod to his efforts.
“I hope that people understand the importance of growing trees and conserving them. If every person plants even one single tree in their life, it will greatly benefit the planet,” he urges.
4. Prasenjit Mandal
Ask Sundarban-native Prasenjit Mandal what formed the backbone of his decision to start the Sundarban Foundation in 2017 and he will cite his childhood experiences coloured with frequent natural disasters in the area and the woes of his community.
Today, the foundation is hinged on a social model that is committed to helping the families of tiger attacks, skill training of women in the Sundarbans, providing healthcare, imparting free education and conducting mangrove plantation drives.
The foundation has been successful in planting five lakh mangrove trees in the delta, says Mandal. He adds, “We have planted these saplings in the different areas of Bali Island, i.e. Bijoy Nagar, Ranipur, Bali, Sonagor, Biraj Nagar, etc. These mangrove saplings take about one to two years to grow into fully-grown trees. For this exercise, we have employed locals, school dropouts and widows of the village, and this exercise slightly eases their financial problems.”
5. Akul Biswas
It is impossible to speak of mangrove cultivation and protection in West Bengal without mentioning the Jharkhali Sabuj Bahini (JSB). Comprising 200 women led by Akul Biswas, the group is providing the region with a glimmer of hope in the face of the rising number of cyclones.
According to Ranjan Mondol, a former gram pradhan (head), the group has planted around 5,00,000 mangrove saplings covering 100 hectares in Jharkhali village of the delta.
Mangroves in India are distributed across nine states and three union territories with West Bengal having the highest mangrove cover of 2,114 sq km. Observing how places with less vegetation were easily inundated, Biswas saw mangroves as the only hope for the region.
The shrubs act as a natural barrier against flooding and waves during cyclones, he notes. In 2005, he started to plant mangroves along the banks of the Bidyadhari River and was soon joined by the local women.
Though confident of their approach, it was in May 2021 that they saw the impact of their efforts when Cyclone Yaas hit the area. “It [the cyclone] inundated several coastal villages in the Sundarbans. However, it failed to breach the river banks nor did it render the inhabitants of Jharkhali homeless despite it being a low-lying area,” he notes.
6. Bijay Kumar Kabi
“No technology can withstand the severity of the climate. Only nature can protect us from such devastation,” Bijay Kumar Kabi, who identifies as an environmentalist, points out. The Odisha native made a trip to the Badakot village in 2008 and was shocked when he learnt that about 300 meters across the 2 km coastal stretch had disappeared.
The village’s plight was not in isolation. As Kabi probed further, he discovered that many villages along Odisha’s coastline were victims of a similar — if not worse — fate.
Underlining the government’s commitment to help, Kabi noted that geosynthetic tubes were installed to prevent soil erosion along the boundaries. “But even this could not stop the calamity.”
It is now 15 years since he decided to devote his time to mangrove conservation and planting. “We have restored mangroves on 14 acres at Jagannathpur village, 15 acres at Padmanavpur, 25 acres in Badkot, 10 acres at Dibakarpur in Kendrapada district, and 10 acres at Kankana village in Jagatsinghpur district,” he notes.
7. Kandal Rajan
Hailing from the Kannur district of Kerala, Kandal Rajan (kandal is a nickname which translates to mangrove) has been on a mission to restore the mangrove cover along the Pazhayangadi River.
It has been over four decades but Rajan’s spark hasn’t dimmed one bit. He comes from a long line of fisherfolk and says this has given him an insight into how ecosystems are critical to the fishing community.
“I have witnessed their degradation over the past several years. These mangroves are also the breeding ground for fish and several other marine and non-marine species. I have seen around 22 species of mangroves in these regions, but now most of them have disappeared mainly due to human intervention. They are being extensively cut down for shrimp or paddy cultivation. So, the least I can do is to plant more of them,” Rajan tells The Better India.
To date, he has planted 1,50,000 mangroves while his home nursery boasts 25,000 saplings of various varieties.
In a step towards augmenting India’s mangrove cover, the Union budget 2023-24 announced the ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI)’ programme. The project is aimed at protecting and reviving mangrove ecosystems on the Indian coast while enhancing the socio-economic status of coastal communities.
Source:
An inside look at the beauty and benefits of mangroves by UNEP, Published on 25 July 2023.
Status of Mangrove Plantations by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Published on 10 August 2023.
Mangrove Cover by Forest Survey of India (2021).
Edited by Padmashree Pande.
