Aquatic ecology and Biodiversity

Unit 12- Biodiversity and conservation

12.3.6. Protected areas

Establishment of protected areas to preserve or conserve the biological resources, natural resources, scientific , aesthetical and spiritual significance to mankind. Coastal and marine resources for conservation of renewable resources addressed in ICZM programme. It is to
• Protect coastal and marine water resources, mining of corals and collection
• Protect coastal and marine ecosystems – critical habitats such as corals, mangroves
• Restoring earlier conditions.
• Research, education and ecotourism programme.
Marine protected areas in India
India has a network of 611 PAs, including 96 national parks, 510 wildlife sanctuaries, three conservation reserves and two community reserves, covering a total of 155,978.05 sq km, or approximately 4.75 per cent of the geographical area of the country, including both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Besides these, the GOI has also declared 14 biosphere reserves under the UNESCO-MAB programme, which are also part of the PA database.
The Indian sea includes Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea and Lakshadweep Sea. The Gulf of Kachchh, Gulf of Khambhat and Gulf of Mannar are three gulfs found along the coast line of India.
The Marine Protective Areas (MPA’s) are vital in conserving and managing marine bio-diversity. Moreover, closing of some identified areas for fishing and other uses is now recognized as an option for rebuilding degraded fish stocks and marine biological resources and an essential component to control overexploitation of the resources including fish.
Gulf of Mannar is located in the southeastern part of Tamil Nadu extending from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari, considered to be a marine biodiversity 'hot spot' in the Indian waters. It is shallow water habitat, coastal beach habitat, coral reefs, seaweeds, sea grasses, lagoons, mud flats and mangroves are some of the fragile habitats found in the coastal waters of Gulf of Mannar . The richness of ecosystem diversity in the area is facilitating rich species biodiversity. Gulf of Mannar is considered to be harboring about 3600 species of marine organisms of which many of them are endemic to the area.

Evaluation of protected areas
Quantitative evaluation includes
• No. of visitors
• No. of jobs created
• Value of fish landed
• Days spent in hunting/ recreation fishing