Marine conservation "EMPOWER IAS"

Context: 

• Marine conservation till now has been the least explored domain of India’s conservation.

 

More in the news:

• In recent years, coastal zones have been under increasing pressure often leading to the destruction of coastal habitats and biodiversity due to: 
  • Population growth, 
  • Unplanned developmental activities, 
  • Increase in infrastructural growth, 
  • Coastal lighting, tourism and other related issues,
  • Dumping untreated waste, industrial effluents, chemical waste,
  • Uncontrolled fishing.
• Dead zones are void of marine life due to excessive nutrient pollution leading to depletion in nitrogen and oxygen. 
• The marine seascapes of the Bay of Bengal have been increasingly recognised to be at the tipping point in terms of its marine life with over 60,000 sq km of the dead zone, the only one identified in India. 
  • There are over 400 such identified dead zones around the world’s marine waters.
• Marine conservation in India is till date is least explored due following reasons:
  • Limitations of funds, 
  • Lack of adequate technical expertise and 
  • The paucity of well-equipped ocean-worthy vessels to undertake ecological study and monitoring.

 

Key measures to improve marine conservation:

• Pool resources (financial and human) to work inclusively to ensure the sustainability of the network.
• Protecting wildlife and biodiversity through legislations, laws and allocation of funds to implement schemesby our government.
• NGOs provide the last mile outreach and enthusiasm, while the private sector can ensure support not only financially but also through the active involvement of their personnel.