COP27: What is Mangrove Alliance for Climate, which India joined?

India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, MAC, at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

After joining the alliance, India called for the integration of mangrove conservation with Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programs for carbon sequestration.

What is Mangrove Alliance for Climate

The Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) is an intergovernmental alliance that seeks to expand and accelerate progress towards the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. Its members include the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.

The alliance will raise global awareness of the role of mangroves as a nature-based solution to climate change. It will guarantee the rehabilitation of mangrove forests worldwide.

India and the mangroves

India contributes almost half of the total mangrove cover in South Asia. According to the Forest Survey 2021 report released in January, the country's mangrove cover is 4,992 square km, which is 0.15 per cent of the country's total geographic area. Since 2019, coverage has increased by just 17 square kilometres.

West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India. Gujarat and Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands follow. Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala also have mangroves.

The move is in line with India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

Importance of mangroves

Mangrove ecosystems are among the most productive and ecologically important ecosystems in the world. They provide important climate change mitigation and adaptation co-benefits, as they are capable of storing carbon up to 400 per cent faster than terrestrial rainforests.

They protect coastal regions from sea level rise, erosion and storm surge. They provide a breeding ground for marine biodiversity. About 80 per cent of the world's fish population depends on these ecosystems for their survival.

Mangroves are small trees and shrubs that grow along coastlines, thrive in salt water, and form unique forests at the edge of land and sea.

These ecosystems are among the most productive and ecologically important in the world, providing important climate change mitigation and adaptation co-benefits by storing carbon up to 400 percent faster than terrestrial tropical forests.

In addition, they protect coastal regions from sea level rise, erosion and storm surges and provide breeding grounds for marine biodiversity.

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