Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing to introduce India's first-ever national standard dedicated to the restoration of mangrove ecosystems.
Key Feature Highlights
- Eco-Friendly Sourcing - The BIS agreed to replace conventional polythene bags with biodegradable or cloth bags for growing and planting mangrove seeds.
- Livelihood Integration-The guidelines incorporate planting fruit-bearing trees on the landward side of mangrove zones.
- This creates immediate financial incentives and alternative livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.
- Scientific Zoning - The standard focuses on restoring functional micro-ecosystems by planting the right combination of species at specific tidal spots.
- This attracts native fauna like crabs and small fish, driving natural ecological recovery.
- Carbon Credit Potential - The guidelines acknowledge and plan to incorporate frameworks suggesting how local communities can economically benefit from carbon credits generated via restored carbon sinks.
The Challenge of a Uniform Standard
- Geographical Diversity - A major challenge encountered by the BIS technical committee was designing a single document for a country where mangrove regions differ dramatically in salinity, tidal patterns, geography, and human settlement density.
- Voluntary Status - Like all BIS standards, these guidelines will initially be voluntary.
- However, efforts are underway to urge the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and state-specific mangrove cells to adopt these guidelines as mandatory operational protocols.
Reference
Times of India | Restoration of Mangrove Ecosystem — Guidelines
