Goa forest dept carves out ranges to protect marine ecosytems, life

Panaji: The forest department has for the first time carved out marine ranges for the protection of coral reefs and mangroves, CRZ management, and the rescue of stranded marine animals, besides further strengthening the department’s ongoing turtle conservation project.
The entire coast of Goa has been notified by the state as the north and south Goa marine ranges. The government is also in the process of forming a state-level marine division in the forest department, which will be headed by the deputy conservator of forests.
At present, a marine cell has been created in the department under which the marine ranges function.
“We have already begun work on carrying out studies along with other agencies like the National Institute of Oceanography. This will help us create a baseline data of the marine biodiversity in the state,” said principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Goa, Rajiv Kumar Gupta.
With a over 100km coastline, Goa has rich marine biodiversity, with many species also being endemic to the region. However, consolidated data in this area is not available at the state-level.
“For now, a marine cell has been created and there are plans to upgrade it to a marine division,” said chief conservator of forests for Goa, Saurabh Kumar.
“The marine cell will work towards scientific protection and conservation as well as restoration and enrichment of Goa’s marine biodiversity, including coral reefs. Marine biodiversity will include coastal, island, wetland and marine ecosystems, which may have direct or indirect impact on human life,” said Kumar.
He said that already some personnel of the state forest department have been trained by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, in handling marine mammal strandings and response. The marine cell will offer 24X7 rescue services. In the past, there have been several instances of whale beachings on Goa’s beaches or their carcasses being discovered too late.
“At present, existing department personnel will be trained and posted in the marine ranges. Their training and capacity building will be done so that they can respond to marine strandings of mammals as per the standard operating procedure. Our focus will be on reducing the mortality of such stranded mammals. We will also be building infrastructure and providing the required equipment to marine range officers,” said Kumar.
Kumar said that marine range officers will also have enforcement powers to curb illegal activities like driving on beaches.
“A beach is a live area. It is not a dead area. It is expected that nobody should disturb this habitat where so much marine biodiversity lives. We will control activities like driving on the beach. We will also be monitoring eco-tourism activities like dolphin cruises, angling, etc. Additionally, we will work to ensure the participation of local communities in management and conservation of the marine areas,” said Kumar.