the Factsheet

Mainstreaming
Coastal and Marine
Biodiversity
Conservation into
Production Sectors
in Sindhudurg Coast
in Maharashtra
P R O J E C T I N F O R M AT I O N
Area: Environment and Energy
Budget: US$ 3,438,294
Co-financing: US$ 12,000,000 (In-kind)
(Government of India and Government of
Maharashtra)
Duration: 2011-2016
Implementing Partner(s): Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
Government of India
Other Partner(s): Department of Forests,
Government of Maharashtra
Location(s): Sindhudurg Coast including three
Talukas, viz., Deogad, Malvan and Vengurla
© Prashanth Vishwanathan/UNDP India
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Background
India is endowed with a long coastline of about 7,500 kilometers, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
of 2.02 million square kilometers and a continental shelf of 468,000 square kilometers. The coastal
and marine habitats include gulf waters, creeks, tidal flats, mud flats, coastal dunes, mangroves,
marshes, wetlands, seaweed and sea grass beds, deltaic plains, estuaries, lagoons and coral reefs.
The state of Maharashtra is among the top five states in India in terms of overall species diversity.
Towards the southern end of Maharashtra’s coastline lies the Sindhudurg coastal district. The
district derives its name from the Sindhudurg fort constructed by King Shivaji in the 16th century
on an island near Malvan. The area is also remarkable for its unique coastal and marine biodiversity.
The surrounding areas are reported to be a congregation site for migrating marine animals like
whales and whale sharks.
The Sindhudurg Coastal and Marine Ecosystem (SCME) has enormous economic significance as
a major fish landing center, and a rapidly emerging tourism destination. The primary drivers of
ecosystem degradation in the SCME include unsustainable fishing by trawlers, and expanding
tourism sector, and pollution from fishing vessels and other maritime traffic. The existing
institutional arrangement in the SCME is inadequate in addressing these issues from a landscape
perspective.
The UNDP supported GEF funded project in Sindhudurg, in partnership with the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Government of Maharashtra, aims to address
these challenges through partnerships with different sectors to improve livelihoods of coastal
communities through sustainable fishing, agriculture, horticulture, small-scale aquaculture,
value addition to fishery operations, eco-tourism, adventure sports, dolphin watch, underwater
observations of marine life, etc.
About the project
•Cross-sectoral planning framework that mainstreams biodiversity conservation consideration
•Enhanced capacity of sector institutions for implementing biodiversity-friendly fisheries
management plan, ecotourism management plan and MMS management plan
•Sustainable community livelihoods and natural resource use in SCME
Looking to the future
• Bringing in enabling environment for sustaining
the activities initiated under the project.
• Improving planning and management in the
coastal zone and land use decisions in the
surrounding area
Developments so far
•A Mangrove and Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation has been established
in the state of Maharashtra in order to bring in continuation of the key activities initiated under the
Project, as well as considering the need for the conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity along
the coast of Maharashtra.
• Minimizing the environmental impacts of
growing coastal tourism through low-impact,
community based tourism
•Square mesh net at the cod end of trawl nets adopted by all (317) trawlers in Sindhudurg District.
• Strengthening the capacities of conservation
and production sector staff and managers in
environment-friendly production practices
•To encourage the people of coastal Sindhudurg to mangrove conservation, mangrove crab farming
initiated with 28.5 acres of land in 15 villages brought under crab farming and 149 beneficiaries
trained in mangrove crab farming.
• Replicating successful interventions and
strategies in other marine and coastal areas in
the country
•An expedition to Angria Bank to study the living marine resources successfully completed and
a documentary prepared. The study reflects presence of 160 identified species including 53 coral
species, 18 fish species, 9 seaweed species, 9 echinoderms. 18 species were recorded which are yet
to be identified, which includes 6 coral species.
• Providing a platform for a landscape based
approach in coastal and marine biodiversity
conservation governance
•Biodiversity inclusive Fisheries Plan for Sindhudurg Coast prepared and is under implementation; Joint
Patrolling, being one of the activituy in the Plan initiated by the Fisheries and Forest Departments.
•Four encounters of Bryde’s whale and one encounter of a mother-calf pair of Blue Whale recorded,
and 561 individuals of Indo-pacific humpback dolphins identified in Sindhudurg waters, under the
Cetacean Population Assessment project. Systematic collection of baseline data for beaching and
stranding of cetaceans initiated, under which 19 incidents of beaching have been recorded.
• Sustainable livelihood strategies through
diversified income options
Last Updated: March 2016
•100,000 mangrove saplings planted to rehabilitate 20 ha. of degraded mangrove area; 98000
mangrove saplings of RET species were raised. Digitized maps of mangroves in Sindhudurg region
prepared.
•40 Biodiversity Management Committees formed under the project and creation of 8 People’s
Biodiversity Register initiated.
•25 mussel and oyster farming units set up with women SHG groups. System of Rice Intensification
(improved crop production technique) implemented in 1000 acres of paddy land leading to increased
income of local farmers, in all resulting in 739 individuals being shifted to additional livelihood
options, to reduce pressure on biodiversity.
•Rehabilitation of degraded coral sites through transplantation of coral using artificial substrates and
native coral species undertaken. Enhancing biodiversity of coral reef through deployment of
250 artificial reefs building blocks undertaken.
•The “Sindhudurg Clean Beach Campaign” launched across 29 beaches along the Sindhudurg coast;
Comprehensive solid waste management plan prepared for 185 villages and Sindhudurg Fort and
Vijaydurg Fort declared as ‘No plastic Zone’.
•Awareness workshops conducted regularly to sensitize fisheries department staff on biodiversity
conservation; Small-scale fishermen sensitized about biodiversity inclusive sustainable marine fishing
practices.
•Capacity building of representatives of production sector, conservation sector as well as the livelihood
sector carried out, including 929 fishermen trained in sustainable fisheries management practices and
3293 farmers trained in SRI.
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