🔆 Pichavaram Mangroves Valued at ₹2,485 Crore: Study
📍 Why in News?
🟢 A study has estimated the Total Economic Value (TEV) of the Pichavaram Mangrove Ecosystem in Tamil Nadu at ₹2,485.38 crore, highlighting the need to integrate ecosystem valuation into coastal planning.
📍 Key Findings
🟢 The mangroves provide provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services.
🟢 They support biodiversity conservation, fisheries productivity, coastal protection, climate regulation and human well-being.
🟢 Their non-market ecological benefits often remain undervalued in conventional development planning.
📍 Blue Carbon Significance
🟢 Pichavaram acts as a significant natural carbon sink and climate-regulation asset.
🟢 Its mangrove sediments constitute a substantial carbon reservoir.
🟢 When vegetation and soil carbon pools are combined, the blue carbon asset value was estimated at ₹1,612.40 crore.
📍 Recommendations
🟢 Integrate ecosystem-service valuation into coastal development planning and environmental decision-making.
🟢 Recognise mangroves as nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and disaster-risk reduction.
🟢 Develop blue-carbon financing mechanisms, carbon-credit programmes and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes.
📍 Why Important?
🟢 Demonstrates how mangrove conservation delivers both ecological and economic benefits.
🟢 Strengthens the case for valuing natural capital in development decisions.
#environment
1September 6, 2026 401 5
