pdf - Ministry of Environment and Forests

It is important to recognize that many of the forces, which detrimentally alter
mangroves, have their origin outside the mangrove ecosystem. Traditional settlers of the
mangrove area normally do not cause destruction to the system.
Management approach:
The value of the mangrove resource in terms of its marketed products can be
expressed in economic terms. The "free" services provided by the mangroves are difficult to
measure and consequently are often ignored. These "free services would cost considerable
energy, technology or money if provided from other than natural resources. Since these
values are seldom taken into account in the governmental decision process, the total value of
the mangrove resource is most often quite significantly understated.
With the purpose of conserving the remaining mangroves the CRZ declared total
prohibition on development in the mangrove areas. This has created awareness on its
importance. Afforestation programmes are initiated at least in a few locations. Substantial
reduction in the conversion of mangrove forest into aquaculture farms was noticed
particularly after the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s intervention in 1994/95. Mapping and
research on mangroves improved. The management issues inclu de developers consider the
ban on mangroves as a threat and destroy them directly and indirectly reducing its coverage,
the Sundarban mangrove biosphere area which has about 3 lakh resident population has to be
given special provisions for certain developmental activities. The local governments, at
several occasions, neither endorsed central government's view nor evolved efficient
mechanisms to protect, resulting in their turning blind eyes to the wanton destruction.
Distinction between mangroves and their associates are required.
The committee recognizes the importance of the mangroves in protecting the coastal
areas and the coastal communities from storm, cyclones, flooding etc. Government should
take up aggressive programmes to conserve the existing mangroves and initiate intensive
mangrove plantation programmes at identified mangrove potential sites so as to develop
bioshields.
2.4.2 Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are one of the most productive and complex coastal ecosystems with high
biological diversity. They occur in shallow tropical areas where the sea water is clean, clear
and warm. The high productivity is owing to the combination of its own primary production
and support from its surrounding habitat. Reef building corals are a symbolic association of
coral animals and xooxanthellae, the microscopic algae from 160 to 800 tonnes of calcium
carbonate per acre are deposited each year on coral reefs. The corals are generally slow
growing colonies of animals with growth rate ranging between one and ten ce ntimeters in
height annually. Even though corals live in nutrient poor waters, their capability to recycle
the scarce nutrients (by the whole nutrient community) is enormous. This nutritional
advantage, the exotic marine life of different hues and shapes combined with their ability to
build physical habitat -the limestone structures built by the corals with the aid of their
xooxanthellae - makes the coral community a truly remarkable habitat.
The coral reefs are classified depending on their locations into fringing, patch, barrier
and atoll. The fringing reefs are contiguous with the shore and they are' the most common -
by occurring reef form, found in Andamans. Patch reefs are isolated and discontinuous
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