Coastal and Marine Programme
Kartik Shanker
Aarthi Sridhar
Basudev Tripathy
While the efforts towards marine conservation in India have been varied, there has been
little achievement in the marine and coastal ecosystems, especially in comparison to
terrestrial ecosystems and species. The lacunae lie in research as well as conservation
planning and governance. Marine ecosystems are distinctly different from terrestrial
ecosystems and the resources require specialized conservation planning and implementation.
The presence of numerous complex social groups along the Indian coastline and an open
access ecosystem requires area-specific, appropriate and inclusive management measures.
The proposed projects under the Coastal and Marine Programme, assumes that conservation must
result in significant benefits to local people. The programme operates under the following
assumptions:
- In ecologically sensitive areas, the degradation of the marine environment can contribute to a livelihood-resource crisis for coastal communities.
- Coastal and marine conservation methods and practices must aim at reducing conflicts and promote conservation for sustainable use and enhancing livelihoods.
- In the marine space, conservation is virtually impossible without the involvement of local communities in conservation efforts.
- Conservation organizations should facilitate and support the development of successful community based conservation initiatives as a workable approach towards achieving conservation goals.
|
Sub -Thematic Areas
|
Critical habitats and endangered species
Community based coastal and marine conservation
Fisheries management
Inputs for Policy and Law
Coastal area management
Creation and coordination of coastal and marine conservation networks
|
|
Geographic coverage:
|
The Indian coastal areas (including the mainland coastal belt and island groups),
marine areas
|
|
Habitats:
|
Marine habitats (particularly the near shore areas) and coastal habitats
|
|
Scope:
|
Action based projects and research projects would be located in specific sites.
The components of the programme aimed at policy issues will extend to the national (Indian coast), regional and international level.
|
|
Subject Areas
|
Biodiversity assessment
Coastal land use planning and implementation
Conservation prioritization and land use
Law
Socio-economics
|
|
Actions
|
Research and analysis for appropriate marine and coastal conservation policies
Conservation prioritization for coastal and marine resources
Community based conservation programmes at specific sites
Advocacy on marine and coastal conservation issues
Facilitation and support to networks on coastal and marine conservation
Information dissemination
Training programmes on coastal and marine conservation
|
|
Biological research areas
|
Status of endangered species
Biodiversity assessments in critical habitats
Indicator species
Fish harvest data
Landscape ecology
|
|
