Bhuj, Sep 13 (IANS) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday stressed restoration, scientific management, community participation and technology-enabled monitoring of mangroves, reminding the importance of these living ecosystems for coastal biodiversity, fisheries and shoreline protection.
Addressing a Workshop on Mangrove Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Management at Gujarat’s Bhuj, Kachchh, Yadav said that site-specific restoration techniques suited to the conditions of Kachchh have been adopted, alongside measures for biodiversity enhancement, seaweed cultivation and sustainable livelihoods.
Reviewing Gujarat’s mangrove conservation efforts under the MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) programme, Yadav noted that the state has made significant progress in mangrove restoration, with 27,652 hectares covered against the 2023–27 target of 29,250 hectares, including 12,450 hectares in the ecologically challenging Kori Creek region.
On the occasion, the Union Minister also released the Coffee Table Book on Kachchh Mangroves and the Mangroves Atlas of Gujarat, and launched the Mangrove GIS (MGIS) Portal, stating that these would strengthen science-based decision-making and monitoring of mangrove habitats across the state.
The workshop was also addressed by Arjun Modhwadia, Cabinet Minister for Forest and Environment, Climate Change and Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, and Trikambhai Chhanga, Minister of State for Higher and Technical Education, Government of Gujarat, who reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to mangrove conservation and coastal ecosystem restoration under MISHTI.
Yadav also felicitated the Guneri Inland Mangrove Village Biodiversity Management Committee, commending its sustained community-led conservation of the Guneri inland mangroves – a rare ecosystem thriving away from the coast – which, he noted, was declared Gujarat’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site in January 2025.
The workshop was attended by senior officials of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Gujarat Forest Department, along with scientists, conservationists and representatives of local communities engaged in mangrove restoration and coastal livelihood initiatives in Kachchh.
–IANS
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