Editorial 1: The scientist who made ‘mangroves’ a buzzword
Context
Mangrove forests, which were once seen as just wet and useless land, are now seen as a key part of coastal ecosystems and play an important role in fighting climate change.
Introduction
Until the late 1980s, only the local communities living near mangroves truly understood their value, as they depended on them for fishing and livelihoods. But today, the term “mangroves” has become a popular topic in many areas — from protecting coasts from disasters, to fighting climate change through carbon storage, boosting coastal fisheries, and even saving bird habitats along the shore.
Early Advocacy for Mangroves and Climate Action
- Although the UNDP and UNESCO launched a mangrove research project in 1988, it was M.S. Swaminathan in 1989 who highlighted the critical role of mangroves in dealing with climate change.
- At the Climate Change and Human Responses conference in Tokyo (1989), he warned that rising sea levelswould lead to the salinisation of coastal lands and water, which would harm food production and employment.
- He also stressed that more frequent cyclones, caused by rising sea temperatures, would result in loss of life, livelihoods, and natural ecosystems.
- As a solution, he called for urgent action to sustainably manage mangrove wetlands, based on ecology, economics, and equity.
- He also promoted the use of mangrove genetic resources to create salt-tolerant crops, such as rice, by transferring salinity-tolerance genes from mangroves.
Building Global Institutions for Mangrove Protection
- Due to his efforts, the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) was founded in 1990 in Okinawa, Japan, with Swaminathan as its Founding President (till 1993).
- He helped write the Charter for Mangroves, which was included in the World Charter for Nature by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992.
- This charter still guides global efforts in mangrove conservation today.
Shaping Perceptions and Policy Through Science and Education
- The ISME played a major role in changing how the world views mangroves.
- It conducted a global assessment of the economic and ecological value of mangrove forests, including those in India.
- It organised workshops on mangrove conservation and sustainable use, published a manual on mangrove restoration, and created the World Mangrove Atlas.
- These efforts helped shift public and policy thinking—from seeing mangroves as useless marshlands to recognizing them as essential coastal ecosystems.
- The ISME continues to promote applied research, offer training to stakeholders, and act as a global knowledge hub for mangrove-related issues.
Global Contributions to Mangrove Conservation
- One of M.S. Swaminathan’s major achievements was helping develop the Global Mangrove Database and Information System (GLOMIS).
- GLOMIS is a searchable database with details on mangrove researchers, species, and studies.
- It includes the Mangrove Ecosystem Information Services, which focus on genetic documentation.
- In 1992, a team of scientists—guided by Swaminathan—surveyed 23 mangrove sites across 9 countries in South, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
- Their aim was to build a global network of Mangrove Genetic Resource Centres.
- These centres are now conserved and managed as ‘Protected Areas’ by the respective national governments.
Reforming Mangrove Management in India
- At the national level, Swaminathan played a pivotal role in changing mangrove policies in India.
- Although mangrove use in India dates back to 1783, the Sundarbans and other areas were extensively cleared for agriculture and settlements.
- The clear-felling method was common from the British era until the Indian Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, was passed.
- Restoration efforts initially failed, and local communities were unfairly blamed.
- But researchers from the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, under his guidance, found that changes in the ecosystem caused by clear-felling were the real reason for degradation.
Scientific Innovation and Community-based Restoration
- Starting in 1993, the Foundation worked with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, other states, and local communities to conduct participatory research.
- This led to the creation of a hydro-ecological restoration technique called the fishbone canal method.
- It was successfully tested in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal.
- This method led to a larger Joint Mangrove Management programme.
- In 2000, the Ministry of Environment and Forests evaluated it and recommended replication across India.
- As a result, more government funding was directed toward mangrove conservation.
- The vital role of mangroves became clear during the 1999 Odisha super cyclone and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when they helped reduce loss of life and property.
- These disasters highlighted the need for large-scale restoration, both in India and globally.
Conclusion
World Mangrove Day (July 26) is a good time to check if things have improved. According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, India now has 4,991.68 km² of mangrove forests, which is about 0.15% of the country’s total land area. Compared to ISFR 2019, there is a notable increase of 16.68 km² in mangrove cover.