Mangrove Forest Conservation

Mangrove Forest Conservation Mangroves are salt tolerant plant communities occurring in sheltered coastline areas such as bays, estuaries, lagoons and creeks. They possess some specjalised roots called pneumatophores. These pneumatophores contain pores which enable the trees to breathe, when other roots are submerged under water during high tide. Mangrove forests are reservoirs of a large number of plant and animal species associated together over a long evolutionary period and exhibiting remarkable capacity for salt tolerance. India harbours some of the best mangroves in the world. The total area covered by mangroves in India is estimated at about 5,000 sq km. The mangrove forests stabilise the shoreline and act as a bulwark against encroachments by the sea.

Taking into consideration ecological and economic significance of mangroves and threats faced by them due to various anthropogenic activities, the Government of India launched a scheme on conservation and management of mangroves in 1987. Cent percent central assistance is given under Management Action Plans (MAPs) for under­taking activities like raising mangrove plantations, protec­tion, catchment area treatment, siltation control, pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource utilisation, survey and demarcation, education and aware­ness, etc. This is further supplemented by research and developmental activities which can give scientific inputs for. smooth execution of MAPs. A National Management Genetic Resources Centre has been established by the Ministry in Orissa.