MISHTI SCHEME

1. Context

2. About MISHTI Scheme

3. Why Mangroves?

• Mangroves have been the focus of conservationists for years and it is difficult to overstate their importance in the global climate context. Mangrove forests consisting of trees and scrub that live in intertidal water in coastal areas host diverse marine life.
• They also support a rich food web, with molluscs and algae-filled substrate acting as a breeding ground for small fish, mud crabs, and shrimps, thus providing a livelihood to local artisan fishers.
• Equally importantly, they act as effective carbon stores, holding up to four times the amount of carbon as other forested ecosystems.
• Mangrove forests capture vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and their preservation can both aid in the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and prevent the release of the same upon their destruction.

4. Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)

• At the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27), this year’s UN climate summit, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner. The move, in line with India’s goal to increase its carbon sink, will see New Delhi collaborating with Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and other countries to preserve and restore the mangrove forests in the region.
• Attending the event in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said that India is home to one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world the Sundarbans and has years of expertise in the restoration of mangrove cover that can be used to aid global measures in this direction.
  
• An initiative led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) includes India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.
• It seeks to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.
• The Inter-governmental alliance works on a voluntary basis which means that there are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.
• Instead, the parties will decide their own commitments and deadlines regarding the planting and restoration of mangroves.
• The members will also share expertise and support each other in researching, managing, and protecting coastal areas.

5. The present stage of Mangroves

• South Asia houses some of the most extensive areas of mangroves globally, while Indonesia hosts one-fifth of the overall amount.
• India holds around 3 percent of South Asia’s mangrove population. Besides the Sundarbans in West Bengal, the Andaman region, the Kachchh and Jamnagar areas in Gujarat have substantial mangrove cover.
• However, infrastructure projects, industrial expansion and the building of roads and railways, and natural processes -shifting coastlines, coastal erosion, and storms have resulted in a significant decrease in mangrove habitats.
• Between 2010 and 2020, around 600 sq km of mangroves were lost of which more than 62 percent was due to direct human impacts, the Global Mangrove Alliance said in its 2022 report.
  
  

For Prelims & Mains