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The “Mangrove Alliance for Climate” (MAC) was launched on Tuesday (Nov 8, 2022) on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP27, to strengthen the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems worldwide. The MAC has been spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia and India, Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka have joined the alliance as partners. It has been set up for the conservation of mangroves with cross-boundary cooperation to meet the intentional climate goals.
“The MAC seeks to scale up, accelerate conservation, restoration and growing plantation efforts of mangrove ecosystems for the benefit of communities globally, and recognize the importance of these ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation,” MAC’s official website said about its aim.
MAC seeks to raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a nature-based climate change solution and work towards expanding and rehabilitating mangrove forests globally. A global mangrove research centre will be established in Indonesia as part of this collaboration, and it will carry out research on mangrove ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and ecotourism.
“MAC will follow a voluntary approach. Members can determine their own commitments toward planting and restoring mangrove forests, promoting multilateral cooperation, and sharing knowledge, while the alliance will support their projects in the areas of mangrove research, management, and protection of coastal areas, and educating the public about climate change mitigation and adaptation,” an official statement said.
What are Mangroves and how are they beneficial?
One of the world’s most prolific ecosystems is the mangrove. This tidal forest supports a variety of creatures, prevents coastal erosion, traps carbon, and offers millions of people a means of subsistence in addition to housing a variety of faunal elements.
Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA) says that when mangroves are cut down, the carbon that has been stored in those plants is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, it is essential to preserve them in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Mangroves can grow in saline waters and can sequester up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests. Eighty percent of the global fish populations depend on mangrove ecosystems.
They can be found in 123 countries and spread throughout the earth’s tropical and subtropical areas. Mangroves are among the tropical forests with the highest concentrations of carbon and are responsible for 3% of the carbon stored by tropical forests worldwide.
“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,” Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Monday at the launch of the “Mangrove Alliance for Climate”.
“With notable adaptive features, mangroves are natural armed forces of tropical and subtropical nations. They are the best option to fight against climate change consequences like sea levels rise and increasing frequency of natural calamities like cyclones and storm surges,” Yadav further said.
Human-driven Mangrove cover loss is more than 50% of the total loss
The State of the World’s Mangroves Report 2022 states that between 2010 and 2020, human activity was responsible for 62 percent of the overall losses, which totaled approximately 600 square kilometers or 60,000 hectares. In 2020, the global mangrove extent was 147,359 sq km. 6.4 percent of the world’s mangrove cover lies in South Asia.
Southeast Asia has the largest area of mangroves, with Indonesia accounting for a fifth of the total worldwide. According to the State of the World’s Mangroves study, about half of the world’s mangroves are collectively found in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and Nigeria.
India and Mangroves
Nearly half of South Asia’s total mangrove cover comes from India. Mangroves cover in the country is 4,992 square km or 0.15 percent of its total land area, according to the Forest Survey report 2021.
Because West Bengal is home to the Sundarbans, the biggest mangrove forest in the world, it has the greatest proportion of mangrove cover in India. Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are next. Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Kerala are other states with mangrove coverage.
“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,” the Minister said stating that there has been a significant increase observed in mangroves cover in India in its Andamans region; Sundarbans region; and in the Gujarat region.
“One of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world, the Sundarbans supports an exceptional level of biodiversity in both the terrestrial and marine environments, including significant populations of a range of flora and plant species; species of wildlife wide range of fauna, including the Bengal Tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python,” the Minister added.
Fulfilling NDC targets through Mangroves
India plans to fulfill its NDC target of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 through mangrove afforestation apart from other means.
“We see the tremendous potential mangroves have for mitigation of growing GHG concentration in the atmosphere. Studies have shown that mangrove forests can absorb four to five times more carbon emissions than landed tropical forests,” the Union Minister said at the launch of the MAC.
The Union Minister further said that creating new carbon sink from mangrove afforestation and reducing emissions from mangrove deforestation are two feasible ways for countries to meet their NDC targets and achieve carbon neutrality.
“It has also been revealed that mangroves can act as buffer for Ocean acidification and act as sink for micro-plastics,” the Minister further said.
The Union Minister also said that integration of mangroves into the national REDD+, (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programs are the need of the hour.
“India can contribute to the global knowledge base due to its extensive experience in mangrove restoration, studies on ecosystem valuation and carbon sequestration and also benefit from associating with other nations regarding cutting-edge solutions and generating appropriate financial instruments for mangrove conservation and restoration,” the Minister further said.
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