Mangroves best option to fight climate change consequences: India
New Delhi: India has demonstrated expertise in mangrove restoration for nearly five decades and can contribute to the global knowledge base due to its extensive experience, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Monday at the launch of the "Mangrove Alliance for Climate".
He said mangroves were the best option to fight the consequences of climate change and can help countries meet their nationally determined contributions. NDCs are national plans to limit global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The UAE and Indonesia launched the alliance on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP27, being held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from November 6 to 18. The alliance aims to strengthen conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems worldwide. India, Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka have joined it as partners.
With notable adaptive features, mangroves are natural armed forces of tropical and subtropical nations. They are the best option to fight against consequences of climate change such as sea level rise and increasing frequency of natural calamities like cyclones and storm surges, Yadav said.
Creating a 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, he said.
"The integration of mangroves into the national programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is 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," Yadav said.
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, he said, adding there has been a significant increase in the mangrove cover in India in the Andaman, Sundarbans and the Gujarat regions.
