Alternative 3: Regulatory/Incentive-Based Governance The third policy we consider for the Indian government is a mix of regulatory and incentive-based governance for mangrove protection. The government could design such a program around the proposed plan for mangrove greenbelts to increase compliance with the policy. Examples of such governance drawn from Australia and other environmental issues include fines for mangrove forest…
Policy Alternatives Pt. 1
Alternative 1: Local Only The first and second policies we have identified for mangrove forest protection in India are two extremes in terms of the level of government involved. The first of these entails policy implementation by local governments only, which would constitute a system in which communities around mangrove forests have exclusive responsibility for protecting these resources. Traditional, communal…
Policy Implementation: Greenbelts and Bluebelts
As illustrated in Diagram 1 below, the greenbelt design contains an outer transition area and a protective buffer zone on either side – landward and seaward – of an internal core of mangrove forest. The transition area represents a mixed-use region of the forest, where humans can make limited use of and develop in the ecosystem. Activities in the transition…
Recommended Policy: Greenbelts and Bluebelts
Commonly referred to as “greenbelts,” strips of mangrove forest along shorelines have become popular forms of protection for human communities from severe weather events such as the 2004 cyclone in Asia. Indeed, Primavera (2005) emphasizes the need for even more widespread implementation of mangrove forests as natural barriers from such storms. These greenbelts can also be beneficial to mangrove ecosystems…
Defining Mangroves
Mangrove forests are “an assemblage of tropical trees and shrubs that inhabit the coastal intertidal zone,” the area where freshwater rivers meet the ocean (NOAA). In this environment, mangroves must endure very stressful conditions associated with fluctuating salinity levels and periodic flooding by ocean tides or rivers. Both phenomena stunt mangrove growth by limiting their capacity to absorb oxygen and…
Mangrove Distribution
Mangroves occur almost exclusively in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, reaching their greatest development between latitudes 25N and 25S (NOAA). The greatest percentage of mangroves is concentrated between latitudes 5N and 5S (Giri et al. 2011). Within these boundaries, there are three dominant mangrove ecotypes: riverine, basin, and fringe. Riverine systems grow along rivers and tend to…
Mangroves, Their Distribution, and Natural Threats
Below is an infographic that defines mangroves, describes their global distribution, and illustrates a few of the naturally-occurring threats they face. (Click to enlarge.)
Environmental Threats to Mangrove Forest
In addition to the many anthropogenic threats facing mangrove forests, there are several threats to mangroves imposed by the natural environment. Chief among these is climate change, which some estimate may lead to a global loss of 10-15% of mangrove forest (Alongi 2007).[1] According to Alongi (2007), the impacts associated with climate change for mangroves include sea-level rise, increased levels…
Overview of India’s Current Mangrove Policies
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is the ruling government agency that creates and regulates laws pertaining to mangroves. The Ministry created the Environment Protection Act in 1986 which identified thirty eight sites as areas in need of conservation or restoration, in order to maintain the vital ecosystem services that they provide. This Act created the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification…
Mangroves and Fire in India
There have been reports of fires in various places in India, including Dahisar and Terengganu in Mumbai, and in Pursat in 2010 and 2014. Suggested to have been started by hunters, the fires were not able to be put out by officials for days and resulted in huge hectracres of charred land. Roads that accessed the fires were conveniently blocked my driverless trucks,…