Mangrove ecosystem is an important wetland system which provides not just livelihood security to coastal communities but also ecological security along the coastline, said officials of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park.

Addressing the participants at a function on the occasion of International Day for Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem organized by Reliance Foundation, Manas Chandra Das, Range Officer, Kanika Forest Range, explained how mangroves offer an essential source of protection against the effects of natural hazards and erosions because they serve as a buffer against strong winds, storm surges, and tsunamis.

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The mangroves provide a home to dozens of different types of fish, birds, and small animals, in addition to being a source of food and livelihood for fishermen and local communities, he said.

Emphasizing that the protective role of mangroves as a disaster reduction tool has widely been recognized, Prasanna Kumar Nayak, Researcher-Mangrove, Rajnagar Forest Division (Wildlife) outlined important ecological functions offered by mangroves which include water filtration, prevention of coastal erosion, coastal protection from storms and floods, carbon storage, buffering of ocean acidification, food, timber, and livelihood provision, and biodiversity protection. He also explained ways of conservation and effective management of mangrove ecosystems.

Environment protection activist Soumya Ranjan Biswal emphasized on the role of youth for mangrove conservation and building climate resilience. Appreciating the efforts of Reliance Foundation towards conservation and regeneration of mangrove forests with the help of local communities, he asserted that such efforts would play an important role in mitigating the impact of climate change.

It is worth mentioning here that championing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for disaster risk reduction, Reliance Foundation had undertaken a two-week campaign ahead of World Environment Day 2023.

Odisha with a mangrove forest area of 231 square km stands second only to Sundarbans in West Bengal. Kendrapara, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts are home to mangrove, otherwise known as coastal woodland. While 82 km area is densely mangrove-infested, 95 square km area has moderate mangrove forest. The remaining 54 square km patches are sparsely covered under mangrove forest.