UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 02nd August 2025
Mangroves as Drivers of Climate and Economic Resilience
Why in News?
- Mangroves, critical blue carbon ecosystems, are increasingly recognized for their vital role in climate resilience, economic stability, and sustainable livelihoods, yet remain undervalued in policy and business frameworks.
Introduction
- Mangroves, once relegated to the periphery of environmental planning, are emerging as vital components of natural infrastructure.
- These intertidal forests along coastlines protect against extreme weather events, nurture biodiversity, sequester carbon, and sustain coastal livelihoods.
- Despite their substantial ecological and economic benefits, mangroves are often missing from financial balance sheets, infrastructure planning, and corporate responsibility frameworks.
- As India and the world face rising sea levels, urban coastal vulnerability, and biodiversity loss, mangroves offer a natural solution that combines climate adaptation with economic opportunity.
- Their conservation and regeneration now require a holistic, technology-enabled, community-led and science-based approach.
Significance of Mangroves: Ecosystem and Economic Services
- Natural Disaster Shield: Act as buffers against tsunamis, cyclones, floods, and sea-level rise.
- Carbon Sequestration: Serve as ‘blue carbon’ sinks — Sundarbans alone sequester carbon worth ₹462 million annually.
- Fisheries and Livelihoods: Function as nurseries for juvenile fish; essential to fisherfolk and coastal livelihoods.
- Economic Value:
- Pichavaram mangroves (Tamil Nadu): ecosystem services valued at ₹3,535 million.
- Sundarbans (West Bengal): total ecosystem services worth ₹664 billion.
- Urban Resilience: In cities like Mumbai and Chennai, mangroves reduce flood risk, improve air quality, and provide green cover.
Challenges to Mangrove Protection
- Land Use Conflicts: Real estate, infrastructure, and tourism developments threaten mangrove lands.
- Lack of Awareness: Ecosystem services are undervalued due to insufficient public understanding.
- Policy Gaps: Fragmented legal frameworks, weak enforcement, and lack of integration in development plans.
- Climate Pressure: Rising salinity and irregular freshwater flows disrupt ecosystem dynamics.
Steps to Protect Mangroves
- Mapping with Technology: Leveraging Natural Capital Data
- Tools: Satellite imagery, drone data, and AI-driven geospatial analysis help quantify blue carbon and track degradation.
- Policy Impact: Improved mapping feeds into evidence-based policymaking and restoration prioritisation.
- Inclusion: Recognizes the ecological wisdom of coastal communities and supports equitable benefit-sharing.
- Community-Led Conservation: Empowering Coastal Stakeholders
- Livelihood Integration:
- Fisherfolk depend on mangroves for sustainable catch.
- Alternative livelihoods: aquaculture, beekeeping, eco-tourism.
- Degradation in Urban Settings: Mangroves near cities suffer due to pollution and encroachment.
- Solution Models:
- Community-based governance like Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs).
- Building trust and participation ensures long-term ecological health and social equity.
- Citizen Science and Engagement Platforms
- Participatory Monitoring: Citizens trained to assess:
- Mangrove area and health
- Freshwater flows and biodiversity indicators
- Community dependence and perceived ecosystem value
- Tools and Platforms:
- Development of a “Mangrove Health Tool”
- Public engagement through platforms like “Mangrove Mitras” (Friends of Mangroves)
- Outcome: Creates a feedback loop between citizen awareness, scientific insight, and local action.
Policy and Business Imperatives
- Mainstream Mangroves in Planning:
- Recognize mangroves as economic infrastructure, not just biodiversity areas.
- Integrate mangroves in coastal zone regulations (CRZ), urban planning, and disaster risk reduction frameworks.
- Green Finance and Corporate Involvement:
- Encourage natural capital accounting.
- Facilitate carbon credits and ESG investments focused on mangrove regeneration.
- Coalition Approach:
- Government, private sector, civil society, and scientific institutions must collaborate.
Mangrove Coalition efforts are an example of cross-sectoral governance.
Way Forward
- Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) should prioritize mangrove preservation as a central theme.
- Link local conservation to national and global climate commitments such as India’s Panchamrit and SDGs.
- Data-driven conservation and people-centric policies are needed to secure long-term mangrove health.
- Reframe the narrative — “Mangroves drive business” — by showing their ROI in disaster savings, fishery yield, and carbon storage.
3rd UN conference on landlocked countries
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 08th August 2025 Home / 3rd UN conference on landlocked countries Why in News? At the
Issue of soapstone mining in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 08th August 2025 Home / Issue of soapstone mining in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar Why in News? Unregulated
Groundwater Pollution in India – A Silent Public Health Emergency
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 08th August 2025 Home / Groundwater Pollution in India – A Silent Public Health Emergency Why
Universal banking- need and impact
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 08th August 2025 Home / Universal banking- need and impact Why in News? The Reserve Bank
India’s “Goldilocks” Economy: A Critical Appraisal
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 08th August 2025 Home / India’s “Goldilocks” Economy: A Critical Appraisal Why in News? The Finance
U.S.-India Trade Dispute: Trump’s 50% Tariffs and India’s Oil Imports from Russia
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 07th August 2025 Home / U.S.-India Trade Dispute: Trump’s 50% Tariffs and India’s Oil Imports from
Eco-Friendly Solution to Teak Pest Crisis: KFRI’s HpNPV Technology
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 07th August 2025 Home / Eco-Friendly Solution to Teak Pest Crisis: KFRI’s HpNPV Technology Why in
New Species of Non-Venomous Rain Snake Discovered in Mizoram
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 07th August 2025 Home / New Species of Non-Venomous Rain Snake Discovered in Mizoram Why in
Introduction
Economic Implications
For Indian Exporters
- These reforms reduce transaction costs and compliance hurdles
- Encourage a more competitive and efficient export environment
- Promote value addition in key sectors like leather
For Tamil Nadu
- The reforms particularly benefit the state’s leather industry, a major contributor to employment and exports
- Boost the marketability of GI-tagged E.I. leather, enhancing rural and traditional industries
For Trade Policy
- These decisions indicate a shift from regulatory controls to policy facilitation
Reinforce the goals of Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and India’s ambition to become a leading export power
Recently, BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, claimed that India has overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world, citing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
India’s rank as the world’s largest economy varies by measure—nominal GDP or purchasing power parity (PPP)—each with key implications for economic analysis.
