Can mindful tourism save India’s mangrove forests?

The narrow sliver of ground at the edge of the water is slushy and slithery, glimmering in the mid-morning sun. It is punctuated by small pointy root-like structures, a few inches in height, sticking up from the slimy earth, while tiny creatures make tentative appearances, darting in and out of holes in the ground. The tide is just receding at the Pichavaram mangroves in Tamil Nadu, about 240km south of Chennai, and a whole new landscape is emerging. 

As a tiny rowboat pushes off from the noisy jetty near Killai village and begins to glide down a wide channel of greenish-brown water, silence descends quickly, broken only by the gentle and rhythmic splash of oars. The tree cover is so thick that it is impossible to see even a few feet beyond, but the ground that is slowly emerging from the retreating tide is alive with life. Around the sticking roots, called pneumatophores, hermit crabs and bright yellow fiddler crabs dart around. More riveting are the mudskippers, strange-looking creatures that appear like a cross between a fish and a frog, flopping on the mushy ground.

The common kingfisher, with its bright blue wings and bright orange underbelly, flashes by every now and then. It is less easy to spot the pied kingfisher, its body a mottled design of black and white, almost camouflaged in the speckled shadows. There are others too: egrets, herons, storks, darters, wagtails, cormorants and a host of tiny birds that are difficult for a novice such as me to identify.

Also Read Why hobbidays are the latest global travel trend

This moving tableau changes only subtly as the boat pushes further and further into the network of channels that grow narrower the further in we go. By now, the silence is complete, the oars barely skimming the water surface.

Occasionally, a fish plops through the mesh, startling us. Sporadically, the boatman stops rowing altogether to point out a hidden creature, like a monitor lizard on a branch, perfectly camouflaged.

Binding the land and the sea

The deep tranquillity that envelops the mangroves gives them a timelessness that belies their importance. One of the most exceptional natural phenomena, mangroves occupy intertidal zones, at the interface between land, river and sea.

Mangroves are filled with specially adapted trees and vegetation (halophytes) that can live and breathe in salt water, which would kill most other plants. They also have specially evolved physiology to handle the wave system. All this results in a nutrient-rich habitat that is ideal for not just vegetation but an astounding number of species of terrestrial and marine creatures.

Also Read The law of the jungle is civil

“The biomass production is greater than any other aquatic system on the earth. They play a critical role in carbon sequestration and therefore in climate change mitigation,” says mangrove expert and marine biologist K. Kathiresan.

These coastal forests are crucial in protecting coastlines as they act as a barrier against erosion, storm surges and tsunamis. Their unique nutrient-rich habitat is pivotal and perfect for a variety of wildlife, including tigers, fish, crustaceans and birds.

This in turn serves to sustain the livelihoods of millions along the coastline. Above all else, mangrove forests are vital carbon sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, possibly up to four times greater than any other kind of forest. No surprise then that mangroves have a slew of descriptors: “living wall of defence”, “sentinels of the coast”, “shock absorbers”.

According to the Forest Survey of India’s India State of Forest Report 2021, mangroves occupy an area of 4,992 sq. km, spread across nine states and three Union territories. This mangrove cover has reportedly increased by 71 sq. km since 2017. While that is good news, it is instructive to know that in the 1960s, India boasted over 6,000 sq. km of mangroves.

“A lot of it was lost due to developmental activities. But after the super cyclone of Odisha in 1999 and the tsunami of 2004, both of which caused a lot of devastation, people realised the importance of mangroves and the perception changed. Much more importance has been given to mangrove conservation since then,” Kathiresan says.  

Also Read This monsoon, bring a bit of the forest into your garden

Though home to only 3.4% of global mangroves, our mangrove forests are exceptional in some aspects. The Sundarbans is home to 42% of India’s mangroves, while 23% of the forests are in Gujarat, says the report. But the conditions couldn’t be more different. It is hot and humid in the Sundarbans and dry and arid in Gujarat, which in turn have very different habitats and host different flora and fauna.

“This is the unique feature of mangroves in India. Both these are high-energy coasts with a tidal range of 4-7 metres. About 57% of the mangroves are on the east coast, 31% on the west coast, while the Andamans account for 12%,” says Kathiresan.

These differences have a huge impact. In the past four decades, Kathiresan says he has recorded 5,745 species of flora and fauna in the mangrove ecosystems in India and that this constitutes the highest recorded biodiversity of mangrove systems anywhere in the world. “This is because of the diversity of the mangrove habitats in this country, which include lagoon, estuarine and island mangroves. Because of the habitat diversity, the mangrove biodiversity is also good,” he says. Of the 5,745 species, about 84% are animals while 16% are vegetation that also includes seagrass, marine algae (phytoplankton and seaweed), lichen and fungi.

This diversity has resulted in some spectacular highlights. India is home to the world’s largest nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles (Gahirmatha in Odisha), while large swathes of seagrass meadows are home to the endangered dugong or sea cow (Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Tamil Nadu).

Also Read Saving water is an alarm call we must heed every day

Intertidal mudflats harbour over 520 resident and migratory species of birds, and India’s mangroves also host 43 of the 80 true mangrove species found in the world, second only to Indonesia, according to an Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, report. These include two critically endangered species, Sonneratia griffithii and Heritiera fomes (known locally as sundri/sundari after which the Sundarbans is named). “No other country has what we have in our mangrove ecosystems,” Kathiresan says.

The bright spots  

A little over 20 years ago, as demand for seafood grew both domestically and internationally, those living along the coastal areas saw an economic opportunity. Vast tracts of land were either cleared or mangrove-adjacent land was utilised for setting up aquaculture farms for shrimp production. This proved to be near catastrophic. Viral disease from the reared shrimp jumped into the mangrove ecosystem when water was released and ended up spreading to other marine life, wreaking havoc.

Rather than completely banning such initiatives, Kathiresan suggests integrated approaches that take into account mangrove conservation as well as livelihood activities such as aquaculture, agriculture and silviculture. “About 30% of India’s population lives along the coastline; these people are directly or indirectly dependent on mangroves, which provide food and millions of jobs. It is essential to adopt (varied) socio-economic approaches.”

Among the most successful initiatives is the Mangrove Cell, set up in 2012 as a separate wing within the Maharashtra forest department. “The whole mangrove protection mechanism has become institutionalised within the government, which is a very positive thing,” says Debi Goenka, executive trustee of Mumbai-based Conservation Action Trust, which works for protection of forests and wildlife.

The cell, with its mandate for conservation and monitoring of mangroves and coastal biodiversity, is funded through an autonomous foundation set up by the Maharashtra government with a corpus of ₹115 crore, which it uses for “conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity, research and sustainable livelihood”. It has adopted a multi-pronged approach to conservation through developing mangrove species nurseries and plantations in degraded areas, while also empowering mangrove-dependent communities. Mangrove cover has increased by 4 sq. km, according to the India State of Forest Report 2021.

Also Read Nature teaches us that mothers should be allowed to show their teeth

Goenka says the onus of protection is on everyone. “The environment belongs to everyone. Everyone has a role to play in its protection. Don’t expect someone else to do it. The more people involved, the better it is for all of us.”

Another effort that is yielding some success is canal bank planting started around two decades ago. It’s a process of creating special canals that ensure mangroves with excessive soil content are regularly inundated by tides. This helps leach out the salts and aids mangrove regeneration. In Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna and Godavari delta regions and in Tamil Nadu’s Pichavaram region, canal bank planting of mangrove species—with the involvement of local communities—to rehabilitate degraded forests has had some success, to the extent of 90% of lost mangrove area in some patches.

A holiday in the mangroves

Mangrove tourism in India is still not a big-ticket item. In most places, visiting mangrove forests means a simple boat ride devoid of any context, rather than one that highlights the uniqueness of mangroves. In some areas, like the Sundarbans, mangrove tourism is popular due to an established ecosystem that caters to it.

Wildlife photographer and conservationist Dhritiman Mukherjee says that mangrove tourism in the Sundarbans is well regulated and managed because of strong rules that are strictly enforced by the forest department. These rules govern different aspects of the tourist experience, including the number of boats in each area, and a strictly enforced carrying capacity for each kind of boat, as well as clear do’s and dont’s within the protected area. There are various packages that tourists can book, from short boat rides to multi-day stays. Pricing depends on duration and number of people. Importantly, a guide is usually part of the package.

To Mukherjee, the Sundarbans is a special place, which he first visited as a child. Over the years, he has returned over a hundred times, sometimes staying for weeks at a time. While he has photographed the mangroves extensively, he has also been a member of several tiger and crocodile releases in the forest, apart from taking part in wildlife surveys and other data collection activities.

Also Read We are living in a different climate reality, and it’s showing

“As of now, tourism is one of most effective available conservation tools,” he says. “It has the ability to connect people emotionally with nature; it creates empathy about our natural world and helps us understand the value of natural resources. It also works as a mass monitoring tool of our protected areas. But it has to be responsible and well mannered, depending on the carrying capacity of the forest so that the impact on the ecosystem is minimal.”

In other mangrove areas, like in Pichavaram, Coringa and the Andamans, government efforts are on to promote mangrove tourism with boardwalks and information boards to educate visitors. However, conservationists advocate caution and insist that mangrove tourism must be based on the idea of education, rather than being merely recreational.

“It should involve tourists in conservation activities. It is not enough to simply see them and go away; visitors should be encouraged to participate in conservation activities such as planting trees,” says Kathiresan.

Marine biologist and head of research at Kolkata’s Techno India University Abhijit Mitra has been conducting research in the Sundarbans since 1987. He teaches and trains forest officials in both India and Bangladesh, especially on carbon sequestration. But a significant part of his work has been in the blue economy (sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources for economic growth and livelihood), which also includes tourism. “For nearly four decades, I have been involved in multi-disciplinary work that comprises mangrove-based livelihood (which includes tourism). “In the western part of Sundarbans, the mangroves are highly sustainable and tourism is a factor. But local communities need to be trained about the various aspects of mangroves for them to get involved in conservation and it also requires the participation from those who have commercial stake in the area,” he says.

Also Read What the search for alien life can tell us about exhausting Earth’s resources

A group of enterprising women in Maharashtra spun an interesting tourism initiative in 2016-17. Swamini Group, a local self-help group comprising nine women and based amongst mangrove-dependent communities in Sindhudurg, together with the Mangrove Cell, bought two boats. They take tourists on mangrove tours for a few months every year, charging ₹200 per person. The women steer the boat as well as act as guides, weaving in the importance of mangroves while pointing out flora, fauna and several of its unique aspects.

In some cases, corporate initiatives have also joined the effort. Godrej & Boyce launched the Magical Mangroves campaign in 2020 in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature-India to work on conserving mangroves along the Thane creek near Mumbai. As a part of this effort, the campaign organises workshops, quizzes, nature trails and meetings with local communities. “Mangrove ecosystems are crucial for coastal protection, supporting diverse wildlife, and acting as significant carbon sinks. Their role in coastal communities’ life is incomparable,” says Tejashree Joshi, head of environmental sustainability, Godrej & Boyce.

This year, to coincide with International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on 26 July, the company released a short film, The Last Frontier: An Ode to the Resilient Mangroves, by filmmaker Rohit Varma, highlighting just how critical they are for the survival of cities, people and the planet itself. (The film is available on YouTube.) The film’s beautiful photography reminded me of some of the things that I encountered in Pichavaram.

Such as the fact that as the tide moves in and out, the water alternately submerges and exposes, leading to the two-landscape label. But given the dramatically different nature of these two states, resident animals have adapted accordingly.

Take the fiddler crabs that I see scurrying around on the damp ground near the banks. Their activities aerate the mangrove forest floor when the tide runs out; when it comes in, they plug the holes of their burrows with mud balls and wait out the high tide. Some species of snails climb up trees to escape the incoming tide, while common rats build nests on tree branches because burrowing into the forest floor is impractical. 

Even the trees have evolved a unique way of propagation: seeds germinate and develop into seedlings while still attached to the tree; a process called vivipary. When ready, they drop into the water and are carried by the changing tides to be deposited on wet earth where they easily take root and grow.

Mangroves in different parts of the country may feel similar at first, but look closer and you will find that each has its own distinct feel and vibe. At Mangrove Creek on Baratang Island in the Andamans, limestone caves and mud volcanoes add a sense of other-worldliness. In the Coringa mangroves on the Andhra Pradesh coast, where the Godavari river meets the sea, endangered vulture species share space with golden jackals and smooth-coated otters. You may even get the prized sighting of the gorgeous and vulnerable fishing cat, almost double the size of a domestic cat and considered to be nocturnal, which preys mainly on fish. In the Sundarbans, it is of course the Royal Bengal Tiger that holds sway—the only place where this big cat is found. 

Also Read A new book on Indian earthquakes holds important lessons for our future

At Pichavaram, after two hours of cruising the complex maze of channels, our boat returns to the jetty. The tide has gone out and the muddy forest floor is a hive of activity even as the sun is blazing down. A lone white bird pecks busily at the mushy ground, feasting on a veritable banquet of insects and worms. It is mildly humid but a gentle breeze blows in from the creek, carrying with it the smell of salt water mixed with the sappy scent of the forest and of wet earth. It’s a smell that tingles the nose and is distinctive to mangroves. Around me, waves of heat and chatter ebb and flow. But like on other forays, I come away with the combination of bird calls and jungle sounds, the rhythmic lapping of water, the serene majesty of the mangroves and its distinctive smell leaving an indelible sensory impression.

Anita Rao Kashi is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Mangrove hot spots in India

Sundarbans, West Bengal:  Formed at the delta of the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Meghna rivers, the Sundarbans is spread across India and Bangladesh, forming the world’s largest mangrove system. It is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. The key animal species is the Royal Bengal Tiger, but other notable inhabitants include the Indian Gangetic dolphin and estuarine crocodiles.

Bhitarkanika, Odisha:  Located at the delta of Brahmani and Baitarani rivers, Bhitarkanika is often called a genetic mangrove paradise due to its astonishing diversity. The region hosts the world’s largest nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles.

Coringa, Andhra Pradesh:  Situated in the Godavari delta, Coringa has a wide diversity of mangrove tree species and avian creatures. Olive Ridley turtles, fishing cats and golden jackals are its highlights.

Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu:  At the delta of Cauvery and Vellar rivers, Pichavaram comprises several islands of differing sizes, home to a variety of birds.

Baratang, Andaman and Nicobar Islands:  Located at the northern tip of South Andaman Island, Baratang houses rare grey mangrove forests and jaw-dropping limestone caves and mud volcanoes.

Gulf of Kutch mangroves, Gujarat:  The largest mangroves on India’s west coast, the mangroves in the Gulf of Kutch are the least protected in the country. However, they are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including dolphins and crocodiles, as well as a large number of bird species, chief of which are flamingos. 

Thane, Maharashtra:  There are unique and diverse mangrove forests that are instrumental in protecting Mumbai. The highlight of these mangroves are flamingos.

Chorao, Goa:   Located at the delta of the Mandovi river, Chorao island is home to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

Also Read Where the Atlantic meets the Skeleton Coast