Mangroves as Carbon Sink: India Joins Five-Nation Alliance at COP27

What’s in today’s article:

• Mangroves – About, Importance, India and the mangroves
• News Summary

Why in news?

• At the ongoing 27th Session of Conference of Parties (COP27) at Sharm El-Sheikh, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.

Mangroves

• Mangrove trees can grow in saline waters, and can sequester up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests.
• Eighty per cent of the global fish populations depend on mangrove ecosystems.

Why are mangroves significant in fighting climate change?

• With notable adaptive features, mangroves are the natural armed forces of tropical and subtropical nations.
• They are the best option to fight against consequences of climate change such as sea level rise and increased frequency of natural calamities like cyclones and storm surges.
• They are among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics and account for three per cent of carbon sequestered by the world’s tropical forests.
• Mangroves are the economic foundations of many tropical coastal regions.
• To sustain the blue economy, it is imperative to ensure the sustainability of coastal habitats, particularly mangroves for tropical nations, at the local, regional, and international levels.

India and the mangroves

• India holds around 3 percent of South Asia’s mangrove population.
• According to the Forest Survey report 2021, mangroves cover in the country is 4,992 square km, which is 0.15 percent of the country’s total geographical area.
  • Since 2019, the cover has risen by only 17 sq km.
• West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India. It is followed by Gujarat and Andaman, and Nicobar Islands.
  • Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala too have mangrove.
• In India, mangrove ecosystems are legally protected by the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

‹ ›

News Summary

• At the United Nations climate summit – the 27th Session of Conference of Parties (COP27) – held at the Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, India was among the first countries to join the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC).

Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)

• MAC is an initiative spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia to strengthen efforts on conserving and restoring mangrove forests.
• It aims to raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a “nature-based” solution to climate change.
• India is among the first countries to join the alliance; the others include Australia, Japan, Spain, and Sri Lanka.
• As part of this alliance, an international mangrove research centre will be established in Indonesia.
  • This centre will conduct studies on mangrove ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and ecotourism.

Working

• The intergovernmental alliance will work on a voluntary basis and countries will set their deadlines for mangrove conservation.
  • The parties will decide their own commitments and deadlines regarding planting and restoring mangroves.
• It will be difficult to hold members accountable. However, the member nations will share expertise and back each other in the endeavour to protect coastal areas.

India’s association would strengthen MAC

• As part of its Nationally determined contributions (NDCs), India has committed to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
  • Hence, India is keen on growing the mangrove plantation.
• India has demonstrated expertise in mangrove restoration activities for nearly five decades and restored different types of mangrove ecosystems both on its east and west coasts.