Mangaluru: Even when the environmentalists are trying to save the Earth from ecological meltdown, knowledge about the environmental friendly plant species are trickling down painfully slow but the Botanists of Karnataka were quick to understand the importance of one of the oldest species that devours carbon molecules in the air and faster than any species. The Mangroves is that magic tree.
Experiences have proved that the presence of mangrove ecosystems on coastline save lives and property during natural hazards such as cyclones, storm surges and erosion. These ecosystems are also well known for their economic importance. They are breeding, feeding and nursery grounds for many estuarine and marine organisms. Hence, these areas are used for captive and culture fisheries. Primarily the Kandla or Mangroves work as a mini ecosystem
The distribution of mangrove ecosystem on Indian coastlines indicates that the Sundarban mangroves occupy very large area followed by Andaman-Nicobar Islands and Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat. Rest of the mangrove ecosystems is comparatively smaller. In Karnataka there are only isolated areas covered with Mangroves and over the decades these ecosystems have lost grounds due to denudation. And re-plantation had not been done so far on a massive scale. But the forest department now has taken up extensive cultivation of Mangroves in the estuaries of Gurupur, Nethravati, Shambhavi, Kalyanpur, Sowparnika, Sharavati and Kali rivers in three coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada.
“The effort was aimed towards bringing more area under Mangroves. To begin with the department has planted Mangroves in 200 hectares in both Nethravati and Gurupur estuaries. A group called Sneha Kunja in Honnavar and Kumta have taken up planting in Sharavati,” say the forest officials.
In Kundapur Range the Village Forest Committees (VFCs) have planted mangroves to an extent of 300 acres which is now called “Hasiru Kavacha’ (Green Armour).
“We came to know about the Carbon devouring qualities of Mangroves only recently ever since we have intensified the planting of mangroves,” says Manjunath shetty a VFC group leader.
“But that is not enough, if we were to dissipate the carbon contents in the air quickly we need large expanses of mangrove forests all along the coast, luckily they grow pretty fast. These trees have high carbon content their ability to store such large amounts of carbon can be attributed to the deep organic-rich soils of the estuarine region. Mangroves have the capacity to store sedimentary carbon five times more than other species of trees in other types of forests,” say environmentalists.
An official of the Sub Regional Science Centre at Karwar and a member of the Karnataka State Environmental report committee calls it a ‘Carbon Sink’. “The Mangroves grow in saline water, they grow continuously, and to shed the salinity in their system they shed leaves very rapidly and gives out new leaves which makes it evergreen. The leaves shed by the tree falls into the water and becomes organic manure. To make this process happen the tree has to ingest carbon rapidly and give out oxygen,” the scientists say.
In mangrove forests, the floral elements responsible for the photosynthesis under brackishwater condition are of different types like Angiospermic flora, phytoplankton and marine algae. These elements contribute mainly to the primary productivity. Apart from this, faunal elements like zooplankton are responsible for secondary productivity and benthic animals for tertiary productivity.
According to the former dean of the Fisheries College P. Keshavnath the mangrove water, usually rich in detritus are highly suitable for fishing. The major fishery resources found in these waters are detritivorous species of fishes, crabs, crustaceans and molluscs. Roughly about 60 percent of India’s coastal marine fish species is dependent on the mangrove estuarine complex Dr. Keshavnath who has conducted path breaking research in Zooplankton and Phytoplankton highly recommends the planting of Mangroves to improve procreation in fish species.
The mangroves also act as a deterrent to the onslaught of Tsunamis, their complex root system slows down the water by deflecting it as the Tsunami comes closer to the shores, their thick foliage acts as a natural breakwater walls. The MoEF has included the mangroves in the CRZ I category which is the most serious part of the coastal environmental protection.