Coastal Ecosystem: Challenges & Threats

India has an extensive coastline of 7517 km length, of which 5423 km is in peninsular India and 2094 km is in the 2 Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.

This coastline supports a huge human population, which is dependent on the rich coastal and marine resources. Despite the tremendous ecological and economic importance India's coastal and marine ecosystems are under threat.

Challenges and threats

• Coastal Development and Tourism: construction of pipelines, structuring of ports and deployment of cables for communication, anchoring over seagrass meadows and overcrowding in coastal areas is increasing threat.
• Land Runoff and Pollution: Due to their close proximity to agricultural land, coastal ecosystem is vulnerable to pollution and loss of biodiversity.
• Invasive species also majorly impact these ecosystems as they can alter food webs and destabilise the entire ecosystem.
• Climate change related phenomena, primarily sea level rise, majorly affect the long term health of these ecosystems through erosion.
• Mangroves are damaged by excessive water in their roots and destabilisation of their sediment.
• In seagrass meadows, rising sea levels prevent the necessary light needed for healthy seagrass growth.

Government Initiative

• The Government has issued the Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 with a view to inter-alia ensure livelihood security to the fisher communities and other local communities living in the coastal areas, to conserve and protect coastal stretches and its unique environment and its marine areas.
• The Government has also implemented Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP), a World Bank Assisted project, in identified stretches of Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal from 2010 to 2020 with a purpose of protecting and conserving coastal and marine environment.
• This includes development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan, prevention of soil erosion, shelterbelt plantation, mangrove plantation, strengthening requirements for ecosystem monitoring, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood of coastal communities.
• With a view to protect and conserve the environment and control and abate pollution in coastal beaches and sea waters, the Ministry has identified beaches for the purpose of internationally recognized ‘Blue Flag’ Certification.