In times of climate change, rising sea levels and increasing coastal erosion, mangroves and the coastal ecosystems that protect the land from ingress of sea water and possible tsunamis, have gained paramount importance. The destruction of mangroves around Mumbai in India has been regularly highlighted in several studies and reports. Now a recent report based on the ongoing studies of Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS) India along the Konkan coast reveals the severe impact that Kharlandbunds are having on mangroves.
A recent report titled “Kharland development bunds affecting mangrove cover: case studies from Ratnagiri” by Dr Deepak Apte, chief operating officer, BNHS India, reveals severe impact in several areas. Some of them are in the vicinity of mega industrial projects that have come up in the region. A rare mangrove species, Xylocarpus granatum has been recorded from some localities close to the affected area in Jaigad. Research reports confirm declining populations of this species all over the coast of India, thus highlighting the need for conservation wherever it exists.
2013 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.