Mangroves may be the first eco-system to be hit

BHUBANESWAR: At a time when human population is already putting pressure on depleting mangrove forest along the Orissa coast, the global warming is fast emerging another threat to this critical natural barrier to sea-originated disasters.

Scientists, who congregated at Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC) here on Saturday to discuss issues that could have serious impact on mangrove forests, called for an extensive research on the new threat.

"A growing threat to mangrove ecosystem is climate change, associated with increasing temperature, changing hydrologic regimes, rising sea level and increasing magnitude and frequency of tropical storms and natural calamities like Tsunami," said K. Kathirsesan of the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology in Annamalai University. He said, "mangroves are likely to be one of the first ecosystems to be affected especially in low-lying areas, because of their location at the interface between land sea. As the sea level rises, mangroves would tend to shift landward."

However, human encroachment at the landward boundary would be the prime factor for depletion of rich biodiversity of the mangrove forest.

"There are a few genetically superior plant species which can overcome any climatic change. Those species have to be identified and propagated," Mr. Kathirsesan suggested.

Sudhakar Kar and Chandra Sekhar Kar, the two researchers with State Forest Department, termed the Bhitarkanika ecosystem along the Orissa coast a hotspot of rich biological diversity. Scientists recommended that mangrove plantation could be carried out in large tracts of Mahanadi delta regions by taking people into confidence. After 1999-supercylone, awareness among people, who faced nature’s fury less due to mangrove barrier, had increased and a sustained awareness programme should be taken up, they said