Conservation of integrated mangrove ecosystem: a case of bhitarkanika mangroves, Odisha

Abstract

Mangroves are considered as kidneys of landscape and ‘biological supermarket’ for their immense contribution for the sustenance of life forms but have been put into the vagaries of vandalism. Effluents from industries, shrimp farming, over use of fertilizers and indiscriminate human activities in different forms have put a question mark on the survival of wetlands. Globally mangroves are declining at a rate of 1% per annum. India had a mangrove forest cover of 6740 sq.km which accounted to 7% of world mangroves area and has been reduced to 4474 sq.km. Bhitarkanika mangroves have been reduced in its area from 192 sq.km in 1987 to 145 sq.km in 2015 for which it has been taken up for study. The Bhitarkanika mangroves of Odisha are under continuous threat of land use change and human pressure due to their livelihood dependence and other commercial activities. The focus of the study is to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on Bhitarkanika mangrove ecosystem and to formulate strategies for its conservation. The methodology involves analysis of past practices collected from Odisha Administrative to show mangrove degradation. The villages for study were selected on the basis of maximum dependence recorded from forest offence cases and Rapid Rural Appraisal. Forest incomes of identified occupational groups has been calculated based on market price and forest resource use from field survey. Land use and land cover maps have been generated to find out temporal changes in mangrove cover. Land classification map has been prepared and percentage change in forest land due to shrimp farming was calculated. Location for testing of various water parameters were identified and samples were tested for determining pollution load. Salinity levels were tested from soil samples obtained from agricultural fields near aquaculture ponds. Survey was conducted to test the willingness of people to participate in mangrove restoration and data was analysed using statistical test (Analysis of Variance). The outcomes of the study shows that anthropogenic activities such as exploitation of forest resources, pollution load from the two rivers, pollution from agriculture runoff, shrimp farming, heavy metal discharge and soil salinization have affected the health of mangrove ecosystem. The study has been concluded with proposals such as mangrove buffer zonation, specific zone based plantations for bio-diversity conservation and improving the livelihood of the community through appropriate incentives.