Seagrass protection project underway along AP coast

New Delhi: The Centre has initiated a project across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha on enhancing climate resilience of India's coastal communities, according to Ashwani Kumar Choubey, minister of state, environment, forest and climate change, in Lok Sabha on Monday.

The project had been undertaken at a total cost of US $130.269 million (around Rs 1,000 crore) which includes a grant of US $43.419 million by Global Climate Fund (GCF) covering 24 ecosystems in these selected states which aims to strengthen the climate resilience of coastal communities by protecting and restoring India's natural ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses.

Under the programme, study of seagrasses along the coastlines is prominent. (Seagrasses are flowering plants which are found in our sea beds and ocean floors). Andhra Pradesh coast is an area of major study in the programme.

The major seagrass beds exist along our coastline of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay regions on the east coast, Gulf of Kachchh region on the west coast, the lagoons of islands in Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Seagrass ecosystems are recognized globally for their ability to sequester carbon, nurture fish communities and support marine mammals such as sea cows or dugongs.

Seagrasses have been studied for over two decades with the financial support of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change and the state/UT governments. Academic and research institutions have been actively involved in seagrass research pertaining to seagrass mapping, species diversity and its transplantation.