Kerala - Kochi   

Experts sound alarm over depleting mangrove cover

KOCHI: Changing patterns in land use and over-exploitation of natural resources seem to be exerting pressure on the already dwindling mangrove cover in Ernakulam district.

Experts have sounded the alarm saying that the mangroves that shielded the coastal areas from the tsunami waves might become a rare going by the depleting forests in the region.

According to figures available with the Forest Information Bureau, mangrove spread in Kochi was around 260 hectares in 1991. There are no official statistics on the current mangrove spread in the district.

The recent loss of a thick mangrove cover near Valanthakad following a fire remains an example of the indiscriminate destruction of a natural line of protection for the coast. The reason for the incident remains unknown.

A survey carried out by the State Council for Science Technology and Environment pointed out that the record growth of tourism is a major cause for the mounting pressure on the environment.

Industrial and municipal waste disposal has impacted water quality and biological environment in coastal water bodies. Wetlands, mangroves, mud banks, beaches, estuaries and cliffs, which are important to marine and coastal environment, are reported to be in various stages of degradation.

While wetlands are being reclaimed, mangroves are mostly destroyed for development of urban space and construction of ports and shrimp farms, said the survey report.

Mangroves that have helped reduce the impact of natural calamities such as cyclones are becoming rare in areas such as Kumbalangi, Chellanam, Kannamaly and Mulavukad. Mangrove spread in Mangalavanam, Panangad, Thripunithura, Kumbalam, Nettoor and Panambukad is also under threat.

Studies have found that the shrimp population had come down considerably as a result of the disappearance of mangroves, which act as a breeding ground for them in many water bodies. The natural resource acts as nurseries for clams, mussels, barnacles, crabs and shrimp varieties.

Mangroves play a significant role in coastal stabilisation and promoting land accretion and fixation of mud banks. It also helps in dissipating winds, tidal and wave energy. The survey report found that the mangrove ecosystem in Ernakulam is facing severe depletion.

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