Bhubaneswar: Forest minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia on Tuesday told the assembly that there had been a 37 sq km increase in mangrove forests in the state from 2011 to 2021. According to India State of Forest Report, in 2011, the state had 222 sq km of mangrove forests, which went up to 259 sq km by 2021.
In response to a question by Basta MLA Subasini Jena, who wanted to know why the state lost 21 sq km of mangrove forests in the past 10 years and what steps are being taken to recover them, the minister replied, “Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun publishes India State of Forest Report every two years. The report said that Odisha’s coastal areas had altogether 259 sq km of mangrove forests in 2021. In 2011, it was 222 sq km. So, the growth is 37 sq km.”
Forest officials said between 1987 and 2019 (FSI started mangrove surveys through remote sensing in 1987), the average biennial mangrove forest growth in Odisha was 3.6 sq km. Despite the Super Cyclone in 1999, which tore through Odisha’s coast, especially Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts, the mangrove forest area recorded by FSI then was 215 sq km. Since then, there had been an increase of 144 sq km of mangrove forests, officials said.
Officials said mangroves have been proven to strengthen cyclone resilience in coastal areas. Mangrove forests shielded Bhitarkanika National Park when Cyclone Dana made landfall recently. Despite wind speeds of 100-120 kmph in the core of the park and at the place of landfall, the damage was not widespread. “Mangrove forests considerably absorbed the wind spped, leading to a reduction of impact. The trees themselves received minor jolts, thus leading to breaking of branches but helped reduce wind speed,” an official said.
In his Maan Ki Baat radio address in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Amaresh Naresh Samant (51), a nature lover known for growing mangrove trees along the coast in Kendrapada district on his own. During Cyclone Dana, his mangrove plantation also helped contain the wind speed. Samant said he decided to plant as many trees as possible after the Super Cyclone that caused massive devastation to green cover in the coastal district, including Kendrapada. After Cyclone Dana’s impact, he has taken up compensatory plantation.