Vulnerability and Adaptability of Tidal Forests in Response to Climate Change in India

The climate change indicators reveal that the Earth's climate has demonstrably changed and may further change at higher rate in the 21st century. As a result , ecological productivity and biodiversity will be altered and marine ecosystems , especially mangroves will be disrupted significantly. Large area of mangroves (4 ,871 km²) in India is expected to go under major transformation , depending on the rate of climate change and anthropogenic activities. The responses of mangroves to sea level rise have been assessed and projected that the diversity in mangrove communities may improve at higher latitudes in some areas under low to medium level of sea level rise. The latitudinal range extension may occur at the expense of salt marsh communities; adaptation and survival chance of mangroves in deltaic region like Sundarbans will be higher than other areas; adaptation of mangroves on islands like Andaman and Nicobar will be low in response to moderate to high rate of sea level rise. It is expected that change in climatic condition may lead to an increase in species migration pole wards. It is likely that some species in tropical region , especially on Andaman and Nicobar Islands may not be successful to compete and may loose in favour of other species. Extensive hyper saline mudflats between mangroves and coast in subtropical regions like the Gulf of Kachchh will work as barrier against sea level rise and will provide opportunity to adaptation of mangroves with landward movement , depending on rate of sea level rise and precipitation. Strict protection; preparation of action plant for each mangrove area in this context; enhance level of regeneration in potential inter-tidal zone; plantation of species which fail to adapt to sea level rise; providing adequate space for backward movement of mangroves and reintroducing suitable threatened species in mangrove areas in higher latitude can be some management options to improve the adaptability. Major parts of the mangroves are in Marine Protected Areas where protection measures and scientific intervention in response to expected climate change will certainly contribute to the conservation of vulnerable areas and threatened species of the tidal forests.