Integrated Mangrove-Fishery Farming System Based on case study entitled : “Integrated Mangrove-Fishery Farming System” Authored by : Dr. Vaithilingam Selvam, from M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India Presented by : Dr. Vaithilingam Selvam, at Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity, Cha-am, Thailand, November 2011 Livelihood security of coastal communities and ecological security of the coastal zones of India are under stress due to high population density, urbanization, industrial development, high rate of coastal environmental degradation, and frequent occurrence of cyclones and storms. The lives of more than 100 million people have been affected as they directly or indirectly depend on coastal natural resources for their livelihood. The problem is further aggravated by an expected increase in sea level due to climate change. An estimate indicates that the predicted sea level rise would lead to the inundation of about 5,700 km2 of land along the coastal states of India and affect nearly seven million coastal families. Farming families and fishers, fish farmers and coastal inhabitants will bear the full force of these impacts through less stable livelihoods, changes in the availability and quality of fish, and rising risks to their health, safety and homes. Many fisheries-dependent communities are already vulnerable because of poverty, lack of social services and essential infrastructure. The fragility of these communities is further undermined by overexploited fishery resources and degraded ecosystems. However, the projected increase in sea level rise and consequent salinization of land provide an opportunity to increase fish production through aquaculture. It is predicted by the Coastal Zone Management Subgroup of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that in many coastal areas, people would modify land use patterns and subsystems to ensure that such changes address new threats such as salinization and flooding due to climate change. One of the major predicted land use changes is the conversion of saline affected agriculture lands into aquaculture farms. However, the current situation of aquaculture in India warrants more responsible and sustainable aquaculture systems and practices. Development and demonstration of new approaches such as seawater/brackish water based integrated agro-aqua farming system would not only ensure livelihood security of the poor coastal families and ecological security of the coastal areas but also enhance adaptive capacity of coastal communities to sea level rise and climate change. Current Scenario in Aquaculture in India In India, aquaculture mainly refers to coastal land based shrimp farming or prawn farming. This emerged as an important sector for fisheries in late 1980s and is characterized by small-scale family-operated farms. Currently, more than 150,000 farmers are growing prawns in about 160,000 hectares of brackish water areas both on the east and west coasts of the country. During the early phase of prawn farming, the semi-intensive culture system was followed, which increased prawn production at the rate of 8.4 per cent per year until the mid-1990s. After that, coastal aquaculture suffered setbacks in terms of production, value and acreage. As a result, shrimp production, which was around 1.06 million tons in 2007-2008, has come down to 0.76 million tons in 2008-2009. Monoculture, disease, poor seed quality, excessive use of artificial feeds, increased input costs and decreased market value were the major factors that contributed to the decline in aquaculture production. Poor environmental management and lack of different activities to diversify livelihoods within the aquaculture farming system were also responsible for the current status of coastal aquaculture in India. ENCOURAGING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND COMMUNITIES FOR BIODIVERSITY 17
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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