MARINE PARKS, MARINE PROTECTED AREAS AND BIOSPHERE

RESERVES

VIJAYKUMAR, M.EI Ph.D., DFK-1304

Department of FRMCollege of Fisheries, Mangalore-02

Introduction

Man has been depending on the nature’s biodiversity for his

survival.

The over dependence of man on nature is posing serious

threats to the biodiversity of earth.

Worldwide marine environments and fisheries are in decline

and recent scientific studies have warned about the dire

situation facing our marine environments.

Marine parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves etc.

Many of the threats to marine habitats are land based:

Marine and coastal resource protection measures were first initiated in India in 1967, pre-dating the existence of any specific legal frameworks for protected areas.

Most notable was the designation of the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, set up to protect the wetland habitat of waterfowl

This was eventually followed by the creation of other national parks and sanctuaries in marine and coastal areas, created under the WLPA of 1972 (amended in 2002 and 2006) and designed to protect flora, fauna and associated habitats.

According to the Government of India’s third national report to the CBD (SCBD,

2006), there are 31 MCPAs designated in the country, of which 18 are fully in the

marine environment. The remaining 13 have both terrestrial and marine

components

Numerous local terms refer to MPAs/MCPAs, including marine park, marine

reserve, marine sanctuary, national park, wilderness area, marine extractive

reserve, ecological reserve, marine managed area, sanctuary, fisheries closed area,

coastal preserve, no-take area, sensitive sea area and biosphere reserve.

The 31 MCPAs cover an area of 6 271.21 km2, comprising 18.50 percent of the

islands and 6.16 percent of the coastal biogeographic zones.

Marine parks

• A marine park is a park

consisting of area of sea (or

lake) sometimes protected

for recreational use, but

more often set aside to

preserve a specific habitat

and ensure the ecosystem is

sustained for the organisms

that exist there.

• Marine parks lay a high emphasis on the protection ofecosystems but have been known to allow light human use.

• A marine park may prohibit fishing or extraction ofresources of any kind, but could possibly allow recreation.

• However some marine parks, such as those in Tanzania, arezoned and activities such as fishing are only allowed inparticularly low risk areas.

Marine parks are like national parks-

But instead of protecting scenic landscapes or biologically importantareas of land, marine parks protect scenic and biologically importantareas of ocean and coastline (usually to high water mark) including:

• Inshore waters;

• Offshore waters;

• Reefs;

• Rocky shores;

• Mangroves;

• Mudflats;

• Estuaries;

• Beaches;

• Islands; and

• all marine plants and animals within these habitats.

IUCN defines as;

"Any area of the intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its

overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural

features, which has been reserved by law or other effective

means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment."

Marine Protected Area

Benefits of Marine Parks

Objectives for establishing MPAs is provided below:

• Rebuilding fish stocks;

• Ensuring sustainability of fish stocks and fisheries;

• Protection of marine biodiversity and critical habitats;

• Support local and traditional sustainable marine-based lifestyles and communities;

• Increase resilience to climate and other environmental changes;

• Facilitate the resolution of multiple stakeholder conflicts;

• Facilitate scientific research, education and recreation;

• Protect cultural and archaeological sites.

In addition to these, other indirect objectives could be envisioned:

• Generating ‘spin-off’ benefits to the coastal economy, creating opportunities foralternative uses and thereby helping diversify the economy (e.g. through tourism andbiodiversity conservation work or recreational fisheries), which in turn can reduce stresson fish stocks;

• Provide a hedge against uncertainty, a form of conservation ‘insurance policy’;

• Generating non-market values such as ‘indirect’ (or use) values, ‘existence’ (or non-use) values and option (or future use) values;

• Raising awareness of the importance of certain places in supporting fisheriesproduction and biodiversity conservation;

• Providing a demonstration of the successful integration of management across sectorsand achievement of multiple goals (for instance, maintaining fisheries and conservingbiodiversity).

PRESENT STATUS OF MPAs

• Worldwide, 400 marine protected areas

(MPAs) have been identified including

coral reef in more than 65 countries.

• 41 of which are proposed for expansion,

plus 176 newly proposed MPAs.

• Indian MPAs comparing to the marinediversity is it too less and it is greater need tohave MPA in our country with developedmanagement plans.

• Since most of the marine species aremigratory and not confined to one area only,management plans have to be based on largeareas , rather than confirming them toprotected areas.

• As of 2010 there are more than 500 MPA sencompassing 0.8./. 0f the oceans surface.

MARINE NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA

National marine parks in India:

1) Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park

2) Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

3) Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

4) Rani Jhansi Marine National Park

Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park• It is the first national marine park in India.

• Situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch in the Jamnagar District of Gujarat state.

• 1980-an area of 270 km2, from Okha to Jodiya was declared Marine Sanctuary.

• 1982-a core area of 110 km2 was declared Marine National Park under the provisions of the Wildlife (protection) Act(1972)

• Protected areas include about an archipelago made up of 42 islands.

Biodiversity and Conservation challenges:

• extraction of corals and sands by cement industries, increased turbidity of water, oil refineries, chemical industries and mechanized fishing boats.

Biodiversity

• Excellent Coral Reefs• 49 species of Hard & Soft Corals• 70 species of Sponges• 27 species of Prawns• 30 species of Crabs• 200 species of Molluscs• Endangered Sea Turtles like the Green Sea, Oliver

Riddley& Leather Back.• 3 Speices of Sea Mammals• 94 species of Water Birds• 78 species of terrestrial birds• 108 species of brown, green & red Algae

Coral Reefs• Fringing reefs, platform reefs, patch reefs and coral pinnacles.

• There are some 40 islands with patchy coral formation of which the largest is Pirotan Island.

• 37 species of hard corals

• 12 species of soft corals

• The total reef area in the Gulf decreased from 217 sq km in 1975 to 123 sq km in 1986; a net loss of 43 per cent

• Coral dredging by a cement company is held to be largely responsible for the heavy siltation

Mangroves

• Jamnagar District has an area of 665.9 sq km mangrove cover

• predominantly of scrubby and sparse type• Mangrove species such as Rhizophora, Ceriops and

Aegiceros, which are reported to have once existed in the region, are now rare, while the species Bruguiera is extinct

• Since the early 1990s, mangrove cover has been increasing in Gujarat, from 397 sq km in1991 to 960 sq km in 2003.

• - Jamnagar and Kutch - contributed to more than 90 per cent of the overall increase in mangrove cover.

Fisheries

• W. Pomfret• B. Pomfret• Bom. Duck • Thread fin • Jew fish • Hilsa• Clupeids • Coilia• Shark

Yellow-headed jawfish

Mahatma Gandhi marine national park

• Location Andaman Islands, India

• Area 281.5 km²

• Established 1983

• The park was created 24 May 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area.

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

• Situated in Wandoor on the Andaman Islands, Situated 29 km. from Port Blair

• The park covers 281.5 km² made up of 15 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area.

• protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area.

IslandsAlexandraBellBoatChesterGrubHobdayJolly BuoyMalayPlutoRed SkinRiflemenRutland (parts of it)SnobTarmugli (largest island)Twins

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National ParkIUCN category II (national park) Jolly Boys Island, one of the 15 islands in the national park.

Biodiversity

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands Mahatma Gandhi

Marine National Park is famous round the world for

its rich collection of coral reef,

• The marine life of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National

Park includes• coral reefs,

• starfish, sharks,

• sea anemones, turtles,

• Ornamental fishes,

• shells, salt-water crocodile and water snakes.

• Most of the coral reefs in the park are fringing reefs.

• The type and composition of vegetation varies from island to island.

• Most notably there you can see a difference between the tourist islands which

suffer more anthropocentric change and others which do not.

• There are also some islands more isolated or protected from the effects of

weather in the Bay of Bengal.

• Tarmugli, the largest island, is covered with thick mangrove vegetation, sand

covered beaches, uprooted trees and sheet rocks.

• Twins is an important breeding ground for turtles within the park.

Ecosystems

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park • Embraces of 22 small islands and

adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean.(1986)

• 160 km between Tuticorin and Rameshwaram in Tamilnadu.

• The park includes estuaries, mudflats, beaches and forests of the near shore environment.

• It also includes marine components such as coral reefs, seaweed communities, sea grasses, salt marshes and mangroves.

Gulf of Mannar reefs

• Latitude 8°47' N and 9° 15' N

• Longitude 78° 12' E and 79° 14'E.

• Mannar Barrier reef which is about 140 km long and 25 km wide

between Pamban and Tuticorin

• The islands have fringing coral reefs and patch reefs around them

• Total area occupied by reef and its associated features is 94.3 sq km.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

• Palk Strait

• Palk Bay

• Adam’s Bridge

• Gulf of Mannar

Some features:

1986- declared the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

1989-The park and its 10 km buffer zone were declared a Biosphere Reserve

First marine Biosphere Reserve in South East Asia, a chain of 21 islands

Home to 3,600 rare Species of flora and fauna like

fishes,

coral reefs,

sea horse,

algae,

marine plants

• 147 species of seaweeds, 13 species of sea

grasses

• 17 species of sea cucumbers, 510 species of

finfishes

• 106 species of shellfishes such as crabs, 4

species of shrimps and 4 species of lobsters

• The biodiversity of molluscs include 5 species

of poly placophorans, 174 species of bivalves

• 271 species of gastropods, 5 species of

scaphopods and 16 species of cephalopods.

Reef diversity and resources

• 96 species of corals belonging to 36 genera• The most commonly occurring genera of corals

are Acropora, Montipora and Porites.• The reefs also harbour boring sponges, molluscs,

worms, echinoderms, common shrimps, and fish•Ornamental fishes belonging to the family Chaetodontidae,(butterfly fish); Amphiprion spp (clown fish), Holocentrusspp (squirrel fish), Scarus spp (parrot fish), Lutjanus spp (snapper fish) and Abudefdufsaxatilis (sergeant Major) are abundant. (Kumaraguru, 1997).

Extensive sea grass beds are present; green turtles, olive ridley turtles anddugongs are dependent on the sea grasses.

A unique endemic species of Balanoglossus, a living fossil that is considered a link between vertebrates and invertebrates was recorded from this region.

Annual productivity in coral reefsbeing 2000-5000 gc/sq.m/yr.

Sea Grass Ecosystem

• The sole marine representatives of the Angiospermae

• Feeding grounds of the herbivores Green Turtle and the sea cow

• Sea grass binds sediments and prevent erosion.

• Of the 52 species of sea grasses recorded worldwide, 12 species are recorded in Gulf of Mannar.

• Sea grasses absorb sediments thereby protecting coral reefs during storms and cyclones

Mangrove Ecosystem

• Salt tolerant forest ecosystems, which support fisheries and protect the coastal zones, thus helping the marine coastal economy and environment.

• 9 species and 7 associated species were found in Gulf of Mannar.

• The two common mangrove species Rhizopora sp and Avecinia sp.

• Dolphins are a common in some parts of the Gulf.

• Thousands of migratory olive ridley sea turtles pass through the Gulf

to their mass nesting or arribada in Gahirmatha Orrisa.

• The Krusadai Island in the Mandapam Group of islands is of biological significance in this area due to its diversity.

• Due to destructive fishing and pollution, coral reefs, dolphins, Dugongs (Dugong Dugon), whales and sea cucumbers are among the species which figure in the endangered list

Overall diversityFamilies Species

Phytoplankton 126Zooplankton 360Forominifera 51Sponges 275Corals 128Gorgonids 14Polochaeta 75Nematoda 9Crustacea 368Molluscus 731Echinodermata 264Hemichordata 1Capture fishes 441Ornamental fishes 100Sea turtles 5Sea weed 147Sea grass 52Mangroves 16

Fishery Resources• Marine capture fisheries are the major economic

activity in Gulf of Mannar• 441 species have been recorded in Gulf of

Mannar.(2,200 fish species distributed in Indian waters)

• Gulf of Mannar is one of the best regions in the Indian subcontinent in fish biodiversity richness.

• Shore seines, boat seines, trawl nets and hook lines are the principal gear operated.

Rani Jhansi marine national park Established in 1996, the Rani Jhansi Marine

National Park is located in Ritchie’s Archipelago.

Located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and covers 256.14 km.

The park spreads across three Islands – John Lawrence Island, Henry Lawrence Island and Outram Island.

Rani Jhansi marine national parkThe national park is known for its

- coral reefs and marine life.

- Crocodiles, dugong and fruit-eating bat species also reside in this Indian Wildlife Park.

- Vegetation consists of terrestrial moist forests and mangroves.

Rani Jhansi Marine National Park

IMPORTANT SPECIES FOUND IN INDIAN MPAs:

• Dugongs

• Whales

• Dolphins

• Olive ridley turtles

• Giant groupers

• Sea cucumbers

• Horse shoe crabs

• Soft and hard corals

LIST OF IMPORTANT MPAs OF THE WORLD:

• Bunaken, Bali Barat, komodo --- Indonesia

• Mochima national park ------ Venezuala

• Iriomote and okinawa kaigan -----Japan

• Corals del rosario-------Columbia

• Pulau tiga and turtle islands ---- Malashiya.

MOCHIMA, VENEZUALA

coral reefs and gastropods are found rich in

number.

CORAL DEL ROSARIO, COLOMBIA

As the name indicates corals are heavily found here and it is one of the important coral reef of the carribean coast.

IRIOMOTE AND OKINAWA KAIGAN, JAPAN

It is one of the famous and

attractive island of Japan.

Here sea urchins are more.

And also some of the ornamental

fishes are protected.

KEPULAUNAN TOGIAN, INDONESIA

Here sea weeds are protected.

Biosphere reserves

• Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by UNESCO for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large area of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof

About Biosphere Reserve

• The Indian government has established 15 Biosphere Reserves

of India, (categories roughly corresponding to IUCN Category V

Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat

(than a National Park or Animal Sanctuary), and often include

one or more National Parks and/or preserves, along buffer zones

that are open to some economic uses.

• Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the

protected region, but also to the human communities who

inhabit these regions, and their ways of life.

Seven of the fifteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves,

• Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve• Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve• Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve• Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve• Nokrek Biosphere Reserve• Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

• There are currently 553 Biosphere Reserves spread across 107 countries around the world. The number has been growing at the rate of more than 20 new Reserves per year

Map

List of biosphere reserves in india

• Dehang-Debang ;Part of Siang and Debang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Dibru-Saikhowa; Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts (Assam).

• Great Nicobar ;Southern most islands of Andaman and Nicobar(A&N Islands).

• Gulf of Mannar ;Indian part of Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka(Tamil Nadu).

• Khangchendzonga;Parts of Khangchendzonga Hills and Sikkim

• Manas ;Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamprup and Darang Districts (Assam).

Cont..

• Nanda Devi ;Part of Chamoli, Pithoragarh, and Almora districts (Uttaranchal)

• Nilgiri ;Part of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Madumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley and Siruvani hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka).

• Nokrek ;Part of Garo Hills (Meghalaya).

• Pachmarhi ;Parts of Betul, Hoshangabad and Chindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh.

• Simlipal ;Part of Mayurbhanj district (Orissa).

• Sunderbans; Part of delta of Ganges and Brahamaputra river system ;(West Bengal).

Characteristics of Biosphere reserve

(1) Each Biosphere Reserves are protected areas of land and/or coastal environments wherein people are an integral component of the system.

(2) The network of BRs include significant examples of biomes throughout the world.

(3) Each BR includes one or more of the following categories:-(i) BRs are representative examples of natural biomes.(ii) BRs have examples of harmonious landscapes resulting from traditional patterns of land-use.(iii) BRs have examples of modified or degraded ecosystems capable of being restored to more natural conditions.

Cont..

(iv) BRs conserve unique communities ofbiodiversity or areas with unusual naturalfeatures of exceptional interest .

e.g. one population of a globally rare species;their representativeness and uniqueness mayboth be characteristics of an area.

(v) BRs generally have a non-manipulative corearea, in combination with areas in which baselinemeasurements, experimental and manipulativeresearch, education and training is carried out.

Threats to coastal and marine resources are growing and well documented.

An ecosystem-based approach is needed to prevent further degradation of marine

and coastal habitats.

Stringent measures should be adopted to prevent pollution/habitat degradation

caused by non-fishery sources (such as ports, shipping lanes, tourism development

and other related activities).

Unless such regulations are introduced, spatial management measures such as

protected areas will remain ineffective.

Basically, the need is to develop a management and conservation regime for the

entire Indian EEZ for living resources – including fisheries – that is consistent with

India’s international legal obligations.

Conclusions

Great Barrier Reef

The Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park and Sanctuary: A Case Study By

Nilanjana Biswas

Coastal an marine wetlands of India by K.Venkataraman

Resources information system for Gulf of Mannar, Government of India

References

FAO. 2008b. Setting directions for sustainable fisheries and coastal livelihoods in

the post tsunami context, India. Report of the interventions by the Food and

Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations under the United Nations team for Tsunami

Recovery Support (UNTRS), 2006–2008. Chennai, India, FAO-UNTRS. 50 pp.

FSI. 2006. National marine fisheries census 2005: union territories of Andaman

and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands. Mumbai, India, Fishery Survey of India.

Government of India. 1972. India Wildlife (Protection) Act (as amended up to

1993).

Chapter IV. Sanctuaries, national parks, and closed areas. New Delhi (also

available at http://envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html).

Government of India. 2006. Report of the working group on fisheries for the

Eleventh Five- Year Plan, 2007–2012. New Delhi, Planning Commission

The islets and coastal buffer zone includes

• Beaches

•Estuaries

• Tropical dry broadleaf forests

The marine environments include

• Seaweed communities

• Sea grass communities

• Coral reefs

• Salt marshes

• Mangrove forests