What is the Mangrove Alliance for Climate?

The unique mangrove forests

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 to survive. Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove forest in the world.

These forests have the ability to store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than the terrestrial forests. But, they cover less than 1 percent of earth’s surface and act as natural barriers against sea’s wrath.

They also provide breeding grounds for marine biodiversity and 80 percent of global fish populations depend on healthy mangrove ecosystems. They can store carbon up to 400 per cent faster than land-based tropical rainforests.

Mangrove's unique ability to capture and store carbon is increasingly catching the attention of the world, which is desperately looking for ways to keep global temperature in check.

Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)

Spearheaded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with Indonesia, Mangrove Alliance for Climate was launched at the ongoing COP27 Summit in Egypt to scale up the conservation and restoration of the mangrove forests. The alliance will raise awareness about the role of mangroves as a “nature-based solution to climate change”.

India and the mangroves

India contributes to nearly half of the total mangrove cover in South Asia. According to the Forest Survey report 2021 released in January, mangroves cover in the country is 4,992 square km, which is 0.15 percent of the country’s total geographical area. Since 2019, the cover has risen by only 17 sq km.

West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India. It is followed by Gujarat and Andaman, and Nicobar islands. Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala too have mangrove.