SAIME INITIATIVE - GOVERNMENT SCHEME

News: Sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in Sundarbans

 

What's in the news?

       A new initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in Sundarbans.

       For several years, environmentalists and experts have expressed concerns over unsustainable aquaculture, particularly shrimp collection, after cleaning large tracts of mangrove forests in Sunderbans.

 

Key takeaways:

       Under the initiative, Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem (SAIME), farmers have taken up cultivation of shrimp at 20 hectares at Chaital in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, and 10 hectares at Madhabpur in adjoining South 24 Parganas.

       They are also helpful in restoring the mangroves as well.

       A research program on the contribution of mangrove leaf litter in the nutritional dynamics in SAIME ponds has been initiated in collaboration with the Centre for Excellence in Blue Economy (CoE-BE) of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata.

 

About SAIME:

       The community-based initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation is being conceived by NEWS and Global Nature Fund (GNF), Naturland Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS).

       It was started in 2019 and had established a collaborative ecosystem integrating several key stakeholders from government departments, academia, and research institutes for co-creation and comprehensive advancement of this project.

 

Shrimp Farming in Mangroves:

       Fishing, particularly shrimp cultivation, is one of the key occupations of the people of Sundarbans, which is a complex network of rivers and low-lying islands that face a tide surge twice a day.

       Shrimp cultivation is practiced in about 15,000 to 20,000 hectares of the unique ecosystem in India.

       The Sundarbans forest is about 10,000 sq. km across India and Bangladesh, of which 40% lies in India.

 

Go back to basics:

Sundarbans:

       Sundarbans is a vast contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the coastal region of Bay of Bengal spread across India and Bangladesh.

       It covers approximately 10,000 square kilometers of area of which 60% is in Bangladesh and remaining in India.

       It is located in the delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins.

       It is the largest tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.

       The Sunderbans Delta is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.

       Sundarbans forests are known for Royal Bengal Tiger and other numerous species of animals, including Chital Deer, Crocodile and Snakes.

 

Protection:

       The Sundarbans delta is a National Park, a Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve. This delta is densely forested, and it is one of the Bengal tiger's most important habitats. A variety of bird, reptile, and invertebrate species, including the saltwater crocodile, live in this park.

       In 1973, the current Sundarbans National Park was designated as the core area of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, and in 1977, it was designated as a wildlife sanctuary.

       It was designated as a National Park on May 4, 1984.

       It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

       Sundarban Wetland, India was recognised as the ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019.

 

Threats:

       It is facing threats from climate change and rising sea levels.

       It also faces threat from widespread construction and clearing of mangrove forests for fisheries.