Current Affair 1:

News:

As part of the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, the state government is establishing ‘bio-shields’ across 10 coastal districts, including Cuddalore. The Department of Environment and Climate Change has allocated Rs 35 crore to implement the ‘Rehabilitation of Coastal Habitats through the Formation of Bio-shields’ scheme, launched last year.

The goal is ambitious:

1. To expand Tamil Nadu’s mangrove cover by adding 67.8 square kilometres to the existing 44.94 square kilometres by 2026.
2. This target has become even more urgent after the devastating floods last December in the coastal districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari, coupled with
3. the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) designating the state’s mangroves as ‘critically endangered’ this May.

Mangroves, which cover about 30 per cent of India’s coastline, are the first line of defence against cyclones, floods, and coastal erosion. But over the last century, India has lost 40 percent of its mangrove cover, now at around 4,975 square kilometres, according to the 2021 Forest Survey Report.   Both the Centre and several state governments have stepped up their efforts to revive mangroves. In 2022, India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate at COP27, and last year, the Union Budget allocated over Rs 3,000 crore for the ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI)’ scheme.

 

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