News Highlight
At the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27), the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.
Key Takeaway
- Attending the event in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said that India is home to one of the world’s largest remaining areas of mangroves.
The Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)
- About
- The Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) is an intergovernmental alliance that seeks to expand and hasten the progress towards the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems.
- Origin
- The UAE and Indonesia launched the “Mangrove Alliance for Climate” on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP27, held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
- Aims
- To strengthen the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems worldwide.
- The alliance will raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a “nature-based solution to climate change”.
- Partners
- It was spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia.
- India, Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka have joined it as partners.
- How will the MAC alliance work?
- The newly formed alliance adopted a voluntary approach. As a result, its members can determine their commitments towards planting and restoring mangrove forests, promoting multilateral cooperation and knowledge sharing.
Mangroves
- About
- Mangroves are small trees and shrubs which grow along the coastlines.
- These trees thrive in salty water and form unique forests on the edge of land and the sea.
- They also grow in swamps.
- Mangrove forests can survive extreme weather conditions and require low oxygen levels.
- Features
- These forests can store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests.
- They can store carbon up to 400 per cent faster than land-based tropical rainforests.
- They cover less than 1 per cent of the earth’s surface and act as natural barriers against the sea’s wrath.
- They also provide breeding grounds for marine biodiversity, and 80 per cent of global fish populations depend on healthy mangrove ecosystems.
India and the Mangroves
- Distribution
- India contributes to nearly half of the total mangrove cover in South Asia.
- West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India.
- Sundarbans in West Bengal are the largest mangrove forest in the world.
- It is followed by Gujarat and Andaman, and Nicobar islands.
- Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala too have mangroves.
Content Source: Indian Express