Protection of habitat of
Corals & Mangrove
Course No. FRM 603
Conservation and Management of Exploited Fisheries Resources
Presented to
Kumar Naik A.S.
Assistant Professor

Introduction
• Marine ecosystems are the
largest of Earth's, aquatic
ecosystems.
• Marine ecosystems cover
approximately 71% of the
Earth's surface and contain
approximately 97% of the
planet's water.
Yet another way to
classify the ocean
Photic zone
– light is
sufficient
for
photosynth
esis
– to 100 (or
200 m)
Dysphotic zone
– light is too
weak for
photosynth
esis
– twilight
zone
– < 5%
sunlight
Aphotic zone
– no light

How physical and chemical
properties of water affect life in the
sea ?

FEATURES
 TEMPERATURE
 WATER CONDITIONS
 DEPTH
 LIGHT
 TURBIDITY AND
 COLOUR
 DISSOLVED OXYGEN
 CARBON DIOXIDE
 pH
 HARDNESS
 ALKALINITY
 CONDUCTIVITY/SALINITY
 NUTRIENT LEVELS
 SALINITY
 PERSSURE
 CURRENTS
 UPWELLING

5
Salinity
• Salinity is measured:
– Refractometer
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a
salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L).

How Salinity Affects Marine Organisms
• Most marine animals are adapted to a narrow salinity range
• Changes is salinity affect organisms through osmosis
• Hypero-smotic
solution - water will
flow into it across a
semi-permeable
membrane
• Hypoo-smotic
solution - water will
leave the solution

Dissolved Gases
• Dissolved Gases
– For living things the three most important dissolved gasses are oxygen (O2),
carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2)
– The amount of a given gas that can dissolve decreases with an increase in
temperature
– The amount of oxygen in a body of water depends on:
• Mixing with the atmosphere
• Respiration
• Photosynthesis
Sunlight + 6H20 + 6CO2 C6H12O6 (Glucose) + 6O2

8
Light
• Light is crucial for photosynthesis
and is strongest in the surface
waters
– UV light can be damaging to the
proteins and DNA of many surface
organisms

Turbidity and Light Penetration
• Turbidity
– The amount of solid particles suspended in the water column
• Important since plants and algae need light for photosynthesis
– Increase turbidity can decrease the amount of light which
effectively penetrates
• Large concentrations of phytoplankton can decrease light penetration

Pollution
Source: CMFRI, 2010-11

CORAL REEFS

Introduction to Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are underwater
structures made from calcium
carbonate secreted by corals.
Most coral reefs are built from stony corals,
and are formed by polyps that live together
in groups.

Corals- ANIMAL or PLANT?

Coral is an ANIMAL!
• Coral is actually an animal.
• They live attached to the sea floor.
• They are the builders of the reef!
• A single coral animal is called a coral
polyp.
• The coral polyps live together in colonies.
The coral polyps live
inside here

What do they eat?
• To get energy to build the coral reef the corals need to eat.
• The polyps use their tentacles to catch tiny animals that float in the water called
zooplankton.
• But corals get MOST of their food from marine plants that actually live inside the
coral!
A coral
polyp

What do they eat?
• A microscopic type of algae called
zooxanthellae actually live inside corals,
just under their skin.
• Corals are solar-powered just like trees
on land. The algae that live inside the
coral
A coral polyp

Zooxanthellae
Coral polyp
Coral colony
Corals
Coral
Reef

• The Great Barrier Reef is the largest
system in the world and can be seen from
outer space.
•Corals produce a hard skeleton that forms
the actual structure of the reef.
•Coral reefs have the second highest
biodiversity after rainforests.
•Coral reefs worldwide cover an area of
284,300 square km, around 1% of the
total area of the world’s oceans.
Interesting Coral Reef Facts

Why are coral reefs important?
• Habitat: They are home to 33%
of all known fish species.
•Nursery: And a nursery ground
for over 25% of all marine species.
Photo by J. RandallPhoto by Dee Wescott
Photo by MacGillivray Freeman Films

Why are coral reefs important?
•Income: they provide millions of
dollars of income annually for people
living by coral reefs.
•Medical Research: coral reefs have the
potential to be used as medical cures to
treat cancer, heart disease, HIV and
arthritis among others.
• Protection: they protect 20% of the
world’s coast from wave erosion.
• Food: they are a food source for
millions of people.
• Tourism: coral reefs attract
tourists from all over the world.

What is a healthy environment for
coral reefs?
• Sunlight
• A certain salinity
• Low nutrient, clear water
• Water temperature 18-29 ºC
• Water circulation
Photo by MacGillivray Freeman Films

What are the man-made threats to coral
reefs?
• Global warming leading to coral
bleaching.
• Runoff of chemicals and nutrients
from land
• Sedimentation.
• Rubbish including marine debris
• Overfishing
• Physical damage from tourists and
fishermen
• Pollution from untreated sewage
and oil.
An example of coral bleaching.

Coral Reefs: Imp...
• Among the most diverse ecosystems in the world - the "Rainforests
of the Seas".
• It is estimated that one-third of all the world's fish species depend
on coral for their existence.
• Providing important services to mankind including fisheries,
recreation and tourism.
• Act as sensitive indicators of water quality.
• Considered ‘medicine chests’ of the future.
• Scientists believe that their organisms could well hold the key to
cures for cancer, and coral skeletons are already being used as
bone substitutes in reconstructive bone surgery.

Some species of coral can live for over 4,000 years — longer
than any other animal that lives in the ocean,
A study has found.

Threats
Natural stresses
· Storms, waves, cyclones, tsunamic occurrences.
Biotic Stresses
· Sedimentation
· Chemical and Oil Pollution
· Bleaching
· Coral Diseases
· Destructive fishing practices like blast fishing
and trap fishing.

Regulatory Measures
• Legislative/Regulatory Instruments
-The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 : All Reef-building, Fire and
Sea Fan Corals put in Schedule-I of the Act (Prohibited from
exploitation)
-Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 : Section 5 of the Act
delegates powers to State Governments, and UTs for taking punitive
action.
-Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 :
Management actions are activities to promote use and that protect and conserve natural
resources.

Cont..
-Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 : Places corals, coral
reefs, and marine parks in Coastal Regulation Zone-I(i),
i.e, ecologically sensitive, and important areas.
Constitutes National Coastal Zone Management Authority
(NCZMA) at the Centre, and 13 CZMAs at States/Union
Territories.
- Formulation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans
(ICZMP) by Coastal States.

Cont..
-All major projects within coastal zone require CRZ clearance
on the same lines as environmental clearance.
-Active judicial system –
Supreme Court’s Order in April, 1996 led to formulation of
ICZMPs.
• Establishment of Marine National Parks (MNPs)
- Six MNPs viz. Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Bhitarkanika,
Mahatma Gandhi Wandoor National Park, Rani Jhansi MNP,
and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary declared as MNPs, the
largest being the Gulf of Mannar having 10,500 sq. kms.

Promotional Measures
The promotional measures comprise –
- Central Government assistance for bio-physical, and socio-
economic survey and monitoring, surveillance, alternative
livelihoods, prevention of pollution, restoration, and spread of
education, and awareness.
- Infrastructure creation e.g. National Coral Reef Research
Station, and Lakshadweep Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
- Capacity Building viz. imparting training in snorkeling, and
SCUBA-diving; about 60 personnel given training.
- Support given for Research – the Centre of Advanced Study in
Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Centre and Marine and
Coastal Studies, Madurai Kamaraj University, National Institute of
Oceanography; Goa, Wildlife Institute of India, among various
Institutions engaged in coral reef research.

Regional and Inter-National Ties
India is a signatory to various Conventions / Agreements :
- Convention on Bio-diversity and its Bio-safety Protocol.
- Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species
(CITES)
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol.
- Jakarta mandate on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity.

Designation of Ministry of Environment &
Forests as National Focal Point
- Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)
- International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)
- Coral Reef Degradation in Indian Ocean (CORDIO)
- United Nations Environment Programme on Conservation, and
Management of Coral Reefs.
- Regional Seas Programme.
- SACEP

MANGROVES

INTRODUCTION
What is a mangrove?
Mangroves are a community of tropical trees that have adapted
to a salt-water environment. Mangroves play a critical role as
part of the interdependent coral reef ecosystem.
• This type of ecosystem is found exclusively in tropical and
subtropical regions of the planet.

Mangroves
Mangroves are evergreen trees and grow up to a height of 5 meters,
community of trees and shrubs,
Not a natural taxonomic grop
• 54 species total world-wide
• 16 families.
20 genera
Total area under mangrove:43.7 mh
74% of the game fish and 90% of the commercially valuable sea life
in south florida depend on mangroves

Mangrove Location
 Mangroves are generally found along the coastlines of tropical and sub tropical regions.
 Usually between 250 N and 250 latitude S
 Indian mangroves 0.7mha , 2.66%of world mangroves.
 Sunder bans: 0.4 million hectare
 Gujrat:689 km2
 Lakshadweep islands-2 mangrove areas of 1 hectare each.
James A. Danoff-Burg,
Columbia University,
jd363@columbia.edu

Importance of Mangroves
• Acts as kidneys for the coastal waters
• Important nursery grounds for finfishes and shellfishes
• Renewable resource of fuel
• Offers protection against coastal erosion
• Play important role in livelihood of Coastal communities
• Mangrove foliage as feed for domestic animals
• Provide opportunities for Tourism, Education and Scientific
Study

FACTORS OF MANGROVE DEGRADATION
Population expansion
Lack of government attention
and over all awareness
Regulation
Inefficient Reforestation
techniques
Inadequate manpower and
logistics
Large hurricanes.
Shore line development.
Illegal dumping of wastes.
Oil and other hazardous
chemical pollution.

Threats
• Large scale clearing: to accommodate human population,
agriculture and aquaculture.
• This has led to forest fragmentation, concomitant loss of
animals and destabilization of mangrove-dominant shorelines.
• Small scale harvesting and grazing: for timber, fuel wood,
fodder and impact of individuals and their livestock, who
make forays into the forests?
• Industrial threats: pollution due to effluents, mining,
industrial development, oil spills.

CONVERSION AND DEGRADATION OF MANGROVES
• 20%of worlds mangroves lost since 1980’s(FAO)
• 38% global mangrove deforestation is linked with shrimp farm
• Like tropical rain forest, mangroves are being degraded .
• Uses such as fish ponds, salt beds, rice fields, urbanization, housing estates,
human settlement (transmigration), roads , mining and similar uses .
Mangrove nursery at Mangalore, Source: CMFRI 2011

India (Govt of India; 1987)
• 6740 sq km
• WB- 1618 sq km
• Guj- 1166 sq km
• Goa 5 sq km
• Karnataka 19 sq km

India (Nayak 1993)
• 4474 sq km
• WB- 4200 sq km
• Guj- 260 sq km
• Goa 200 sq km
• Karnataka 60 sq km

India (Kathiresen, 1998)
• 4827 sq km
• WB- 2123 sq km
• Guj- 991 sq km
• Goa 5 sq km
• Karnataka 3 sq km

1166
6740
4200
260 60 330
4474
2123
991 3 124
4827
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
WB Gujrat Karnataka MH Total
Km sq
1987
1993
1998

Policy
• Environmental Protection Act, 1986
• National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on
Environment and Development (1992)
• Action Plan of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (1995)
• Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification (1991)
• Scheme on Conservation and Management of Mangroves and
Coral Reefs (1986)
• Ramsar convention in1971
Management

Reef & Mangrove Appeal
• The Reef & Mangrove appeal was launched in response
to the 2004 - tsunami
• Project aim
• The Reef & Mangrove appeal aims to raise funds for
coral reef and mangrove protection.
• It is important to protect both mangroves and coral reefs
as they are incredibly diverse but threatened ecosystems
with important roles in protecting the coasts against the
forces of the sea.

Limitations of management
• Lack of knowledge of mangrove ecosystems,
• Status and linkages to other ecosystems
• A comprehensive information database of mangrove
biodiversity in each country is necessary to monitor the
status of mangrove biological diversity.
• Realise its economic potential and areas of application.

Thank You