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‘Ecosystem Services in Coastal Areas’
"To halt the decline of an ecosystem, it is necessary
to think like an ecosystem." E cosystem services are produced by healthy and well-functioning environments, and they provide great benefits to humans worldwide. Such services include provisioning of food and water resources as well as regulating and supporting functions and processes which include flood control, waste management, water balance, climate regulation etc. Human reliance on these ecosystem services is fundamental although we rarely recognize their value until they are lost.Coastal and marine ecosystems
are naturally dynamic but recently they h As coastal ecosystems are nearing the thresholds of healthy functioning, exposing coastal populations ever more to risk, innovative solutions must be found to complement conventional coastal and marine management so as to safeguard human well-being. We have seen the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004. Its tragic and devastating consequences were a wake-up call for the global community, dramatically drawing attention to the vulnerability of tropical coastal ecosystems and the dangers of undermining the services they provide to humankind. This was further emphasised by the catastrophic hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 when hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma caused an extensive damage to coastal and inland areas. Numerous other tropical storms that affected coastal communities and ecosystems in other parts of the world in the same year received much less attention but were also notable. Also in the Indian state of Odisha, a powerful cyclone in 1999 caused extensive damage and human deaths. It should be noted that the communities protected by mangrove belts were much less affected by the cyclone (Mangrove Action Project, 2005). In fact, Odisha is often referred to as a biological paradise since it is very rich in biodiversity. The Bhitarkanika mangrove wetlands contain a very rich genetic diversity of mangroves. Unfortunately, the mangrove forests of Odisha are under severe anthropogenic threats as a result of which many hitherto healthy mangrove forests have become degraded. Hence, in reaction to the above described situation, Development Alternatives (DA) intervened in the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary Area, Odisha under the Mangroves For Future (MFF) programme. The MFF programme is functioning on the three ‘pillars’ of apply knowledge, empower civil society and enhance governance. By making people and institutions more knowledgeable and empowering them to use this knowledge, MFF enables coastal communities to play a more effective role in the governance of the coastal areas. Capacity building, climate change, gender equality, knowledge management and communications, and private sector partnerships are cross-cutting themes integrated throughout this framework to help achieve positive results. DA’s aim was to reduce the dependence of the local communities on mangroves in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary area. The programme focused not only on this dependence but also on spreading awareness about the importance of mangroves while at the same time pointing to additional livelihood options which can be taken up by the people in this region. |
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Voices of People from
Bhitarkanika Sanctuary-Odisha Durbadala Mandal from Chanrakolla village said: "We did not know that rice can be used for such a big trade. We have enough rice so why can’t we do the puffed rice business in our area. We need some organisations to help us in learning this business as an alternative source of income. Then our dependence on marine fishing will be reduced and we can become self sustainable with our paddy cultivation. We have the best rice in this area." The Sarpanch of Rangani Gram Panchayat said: "We are thankful to DA-Biswa Research Innovation Center and MFF team for helping us to learn the trade, organising awareness camps through nukkad nataks and exposure visits to successful livelihood areas. I commit on behalf of the Rangani Panchayat that we will take all steps to utilise the government funds and employ other means to preserve and conserve the mangrove ecosystem and take up alternative livelihoods." |
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However, in the course of the actual conservation initiatives such as establishing protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries, communities living within the conservation sites often get marginalized and their conventional livelihood sources are under the threat of being declared illegal. In situations like these, where no alternatives are provided, the ecosystem comes under increasing pressure from these illegal activities. Communities that are potential custodians of nature are compelled to resort to further exploitation of the very same nature due to their poor socio-economic conditions and lack of livelihood alternatives. Thus, the threats to the mangrove ecosystem could be broadly divided into two categories: one natural and the other anthropogenic. These factors may affect the system as a whole or any one entity within the system. The natural threats include: climatic changes, cyclones and physical processes. Diseases, pollution, grazing, agriculture, aquaculture and human encroachments (including land reclamation) are the anthropogenic threats to the ecosystem. All this has put tremendous biotic pressure on the mangrove forests. On the encroached land, tidal creeks are being blocked by earthen bunds which restrict the natural tidal flow. As a consequence, the mangrove vegetation gradually perishes. At the same time, the introduction of aquaculture in this area evoked a considerable resentment among the local fishermen. In this situation, DA and its local partner intervened in the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary area aiming to promote a sustainable use and regeneration of natural resources with the help of appropriate management techniques, income generating livelihoods and responsible community institutions. They arranged for demonstrations to be conducted on alternate livelihoods. One can mention here specifically the integrated rice-fish farming and puffed rice making as these were the two livelihoods identified during the baseline and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) study. Several other livelihoods were also identified as being suitable for the coastal area in general and the Bhitarkanika region in particular. A number of one to one expert consultations and also a state level consultation were organised to identify the supplementary livelihoods that can be taken up by the people living in the coastal area of the Odisha belt. Thus, the recent focus on ecosystem services has shifted the way we practice conservation, manage ecosystems and even relate to the natural world. A recognition of the immense value of ecosystem services has also opened the door to innovative approaches to conservation and a greater engagement of the private sector in this venture. q
Sachi Singh
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ave
undergone changes that are unparalleled in the history of the earth.
Waterways have been dredged, wetlands drained and coastal areas
developed for human habitations. Over fishing and destructive fishing
have caused major fisheries to collapse and disrupt food chains.
However, the impacts of these activities on the marine environment
extend beyond the stretches of land adjacent to the coasts and the
oceans. Land and freshwater use in watersheds have dramatically altered
the sediment transport and, hence, the hydrology of the regions. Many
toxins in large quantities reaching the shores have made coastal waters
the most highly chemically-altered environment in the world. All of
these impacts compound our vulnerability to rising sea levels and more frequent severe storms due
to global climate change.