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Bhitarkanika mangroves, Odisha—a boat ride through the still waters and crocodile territory. Credit: Aishwarya Bajpai/IPSNEW DELHI, September 24 (IPS) - As the climate crisis intensifies, long-term adaptation strategies have become urgent. Among the most effective nature-based solutions are mangroves—resilient coastal forests that protect communities, preserve biodiversity, and capture carbon.
In India, a quiet revolution is unfolding, led by women and coastal communities who are restoring these vital ecosystems and reshaping their relationship with the sea.
Mangroves support the lives and livelihoods of over 15 million coastal residents in India, many of them small-scale fishers from Dalit (Scheduled Caste) and Adivasi (Scheduled Tribe) backgrounds. These forests offer protection from cyclones and tides, nurture marine life, and act as carbon sinks—absorbing up to three times more carbon than tropical rainforests.
India’s success lies in its community-led model. People living near mangroves rely on them for fish, crabs, fuel, and daily income. This dependence has fostered a deep-rooted sense of care and ownership, making local stewardship both effective and sustainable. “The reason why it works is simple—these communities are directly dependent on mangroves, and they are deeply involved,” explains marine biologist Deepu Visweswar from the East Coast Conservation Team (ECCT), Visakhapatnam.
Across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Karnataka, women are stepping into leadership roles in mangrove restoration.
“Traditionally, women in these communities worked post-harvest—drying or selling fish. But now, with men away fishing for long hours, women are leading restoration—managing nurseries, planting saplings, and protecting forests,” says Visweswar. “It’s empowering them while safeguarding the environment.”
Their impact is tangible. In Puri, Odisha, Dalit fisherwomen in Sana Jhadling are tending mangrove saplings, a response rooted in their memories of the devastating 1999 super cyclone. Odisha saw an 8 sq/km increase in mangrove cover in 2021, notably in Kendrapara and Balasore. In Badakot, a 25-acre degraded patch has turned into a thriving forest after 12 years of community effort. The state’s Women for Mangroves initiative, with 45,000 saplings planted, has created a new generation of coastal custodians.
In Maharashtra’s Palghar, women from a self-help group called Healthy Harvest restored degraded mangroves while learning crab farming—collectively earning ₹85,000 (975 USD approx.) a year and securing steady employment—their effort links conservation with livelihood security.
In the same state, nine women from the Swamini self-help group turned their focus to eco-tourism. In 2017, they launched Mandavi Eco Tourism in Vengurla, offering guided mangrove safaris. Supported by the state’s Mangrove Cell and UNDP, they are reviving local ecological knowledge and rediscovering wild edible plants—blending conservation with cultural heritage and sustainable tourism.
Tamil Nadu’s Muthupet shows another strategy. Here, fishworker communities, with help from the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the forest department, dug 3,000 canals across 5,000 hectares to combat saline intrusion and rejuvenate mangroves.
Nearby, in Pichavaram and Thanjavur-Pudukkottai, women lead multiple fronts—managing nurseries, making Palmyra-leaf planting bags, and guarding against illegal logging. Their work has helped increase mangrove cover by 90 percent while preserving community fishing rights.
In Karnataka’s Honnavar, Indigenous communities partnered with the local government to develop a conservation plan. They’ve restored over 200 hectares, created conservation zones, introduced fishing limits, and curbed tourism to protect fragile areas.
Andhra Pradesh’s Kondurupalem village in Tirupati saw 20 fishers plant 4,500 saplings in 2024, supported by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Two locals were trained to manage nurseries using fishbone irrigation—ensuring sapling survival.
In the Sundarbans, one of the world’s most biodiverse mangrove zones, 500 women—many widowed by tiger attacks—formed a Mangrove Army. Each pledged to protect 100 trees over three years, planting over 5,000 saplings by 2025. Their effort is both ecological and healing.
Visweswar stresses that government support has played a crucial role. “State initiatives have helped register communities and ensure collective ownership. Restoration is no longer just an NGO or corporate job. There’s growing collaboration among state, science, and civil society,” he says.
The results are ecological as well as emotional. In Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, restored mangroves are attracting rare species like the fishing cat.
“These forests are becoming safe havens again,” says Visweswar. “People feel proud seeing their land heal. It’s about belonging as much as biology.”
Past disasters like the 2004 tsunami have left an imprint. “Communities now see mangroves not just as trees, but as shields,” he adds. “Their experience has made them proactive protectors.”
India, with 4,107 recorded species, has the highest mangrove biodiversity in the world and ranks third globally in mangrove area. Public funding, such as through the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), has supported many of these efforts.
But Visweswar believes the future lies in broader partnerships. “Climate finance and carbon markets could bring in new investment. If structured well, public-private models could deliver credits and direct benefits to communities.”
Private players, he notes, bring accountability. “They expect results. No restoration, no payment. That kind of rigor is often missing in public systems.”
Still, challenges persist. Restoration work is often seasonal and inconsistent. More importantly, there is no dedicated policy to support women’s leadership in conservation. “Restoration isn’t the same as empowerment,” cautions Visweswar. “We need sustained, gender-focused strategies.”
Globally, according to IUCN, over 50 percent of mangroves face collapse by 2050, with more than 7,000 sq km at risk. But India’s diverse, women-led, community-based efforts suggest another path—one where mangroves don’t just survive but thrive.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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