WHAT ARE WE DOING TO OUR FORESTS?

A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

When one thinks of the word ‘mangroves’ the immediate image that crops up in the mind is that of dark murkiness, swamp and maybe even a little stench. If you are one of those that conjures up such an image of the mangroves, you are in for a surprise as the real mangroves are nothing short of being Mother Nature’s treasure troves.

A mangrove can be defined as a tree or shrub which grows in tidal, chiefly tropical, coastal swamps, having numerous tangled roots that grow above ground and form dense thickets. If one looks at the Google earth images of the sea coast of Mumbai, this dense thicket is the band of green that separates the city mainland from the Arabian Sea. Major mangroves are seen along the Vasai Creek, Thane Creek, Manori and Malad, Mahim – Bandra, Versova, Sewri, Mumbra – Diva and few more places.

In the early nineties, perhaps over 37 sq. km. of mangroves existed in Mumbai, largely in the Thane creek, Mahim, Versova, Gorai and Ghodbunder, with sporadic patches in places such as Bandra, Malabar Hill and Colaba. Mumbai has probably lost a high percentage of all its mangroves in the past few decades, largely because of reclamation for housing, slums, sewage treatment and garbage dumps. Around 20 out of the 35 species of true mangroves found in India have been identified along the Maharashtra coast and 15 species of these are found in Mumbai. In 2005 however, the Bombay High Court passed an order to conserve and arrest the destruction of mangroves recognising how useful they were in minimising the damage done by the Tsunami on the east coast of India.

Studies have proved that mangroves are the nesting and breeding place for many species of flora and fauna including marine life. Birds are a prominent part of most mangrove forests and they are often present in large numbers. The mangrove habitats offer rich feeding grounds for many of the large and more spectacular species as well as a multitude of small birds. Both aquatic as well as tree dwelling birds are commonly found in mangroves and associated areas. Totally around 170 species of resident and migratory birds are found in the mangrove forests. The most common among these are Kingfishers, herons, storks, sea eagles, kites, sand pipers, Curlews, terens, ducks etc. Flamingoes flock the exposed mud flats, during the low tides. They use mangrove environs as breeding and feeding grounds.

A total of 56 species of birds representing 11orders, 29 families and 46 genera have been recorded from the mangroves of Uran coast. White-cheeked Bulbul, BayaWeavers,Indian Skimmer, Red-headed Bunting, Eurasian Collared Dove, White Stork, Painted Stork, Lesser Flamingo, Black-headed Ibis are birds that have been studied and observed at the mangroves in Thane and Bhandup.

A study has shown that the Mahim grove is inhabited by 27 different bird species of which 11 are residents and 16 are winter visitors. Winter migrants, like Whimbrel and Eurasian Curlew migrate from Europe and slender billed Seagulls come from Baluchistan.

Mangroves harbour rich bird diversity. However, anthropogenic activities like sewage disposal and certain religious rituals can have adverse effect on the ecosystem of the mangroves. Since most sea birds feed on the rich fauna and fishes, pollution may affect these food resources impacting the avian diversity in the mangroves. A detailed list of local and migratory birds inhabiting the mangroves around Mumbai can be found at

http://www.vpmthane.org/sci/FAVEO/r1.pdf , http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/2397/3656

Besides this they also act as a barrier against floods, soil erosion and an absorbent of almost eight times more carbon dioxide than any other ecosystem. Hence if these forests are sacrificed for the sake of development, not only are we harming Mother Nature, but also equally importantly, we are bringing doom upon ourselves. We will be prone to increased levels of pollution, we will be in danger of being washed away in case of another tsunami and finally we will be making extinct the many endangered species of flora and fauna that thrive in these beautiful marshes.

Due to the conservation order of the Bombay High Court today the city can boast of 5800 hectares of these forests. One report also claims that the government has set up special ‘cells’to oversee the protection of the mangroves. To add to this the Maharashtra government has identified 26,000 hectares of coastal land to expand the green belt.

Besides the initiatives of the government, a few NGO’s like the Mangrove Society of India, the SoonabaiPirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre and certain citizens groups have spearheaded research and activities in mangrove conservation.

The line of green bordering the coastline of Mumbai can truly be called the city’s natural lifeline. As beneficiaries of these mangroves we can do our part in giving back to nature by getting acquainted with mangroves in our vicinity, alerting authorities in case of any violation or destruction (Forest Department or the police as both these authorities are equipped to take action under the Maharashtra Tree Felling Act and Environment Protection Act) and/or by joining NGOs like the ones mentioned above.The local fishing community of the Kolisworship the mangroves for all that they provide. We would do well if we could learn to respect this great gift of nature to us.

Written by Ziska Mendes