GS Paper I 2019 · Q5
10 marks · 150 words Geophysical phenomena & changing features X-Ray · Core #68Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.
Approach · directive: “discuss / explain”
What it asks · Two parts: the human and natural causes behind shrinking mangrove cover, and the ecological services that mangroves provide to coasts.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Discuss the causes of mangrove depletion: conversion, extraction, altered flows and pollution, climate stress
- Explain the importance of mangroves in maintaining coastal ecology: sea wall, nursery, climate and water services
Open with · India's mangroves cover 4,992 sq km, about 0.15% of its area (ISFR 2023), yet these salt-tolerant tidal forests guard the coast; most of their loss is man-made.
Cover
- Map: West Bengal 42.45%, Gujarat 23.66%, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 12.39% of mangrove cover (ISFR 2023).
- Causes: shrimp ponds, salt pans, ports and real estate; fuelwood, fodder and grazing in deltas such as the Sundarbans.
- Causes: dams and embankments cut fresh water and silt; pollution chokes roots; sea-level rise squeezes forests.
- Sea wall: villages with more mangroves suffered less in the 1999 Odisha super cyclone.
- Nursery: root channels breed fish, prawns and crabs; the Sundarbans are the world's largest mangrove forest.
- Services: blue carbon storage, pollutant filtering, a check on saline intrusion.
- Way forward: MISHTI aims at about 540 sq km across nine States and four UTs (2023-28) through MGNREGS and CAMPA convergence.
Close with · India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate at COP27; treating mangroves as climate infrastructure is cheaper and longer-lasting than concrete sea walls.
Add value (verified)
- ISFR 2023: India's mangrove cover is 4,991.68 sq km, 0.15% of the geographical area.Parliament reply: mangrove conservation in coastal areas — PIB, MoEFCC ↗“making up 0.15% of the country's total geographical area as per India State of Forest Report 2023”
- ISFR 2023 shares: West Bengal 42.45%, Gujarat 23.66%, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 12.39%.Parliament reply: mangrove conservation in coastal areas — PIB, MoEFCC ↗“West Bengal has the highest mangrove coverage, accounting for 42.45%, followed by Gujarat at 23.66% and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands at 12.39%.”
- MISHTI followed India joining the Mangrove Alliance for Climate launched at COP27 (UNFCCC).MISHTI guidelines — National CAMPA, MoEFCC ↗“India joined the ‘Mangrove Alliance for Climate’ launched during the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27)”
- MISHTI covers about 540 sq km across nine coastal States and four UTs over 2023-2028.MISHTI guidelines — National CAMPA, MoEFCC ↗“The Programme will cover approximately 540 sq km area across nine (9) coastal States and four (4) Union Territories in five years (2023-2028).”
- Budget 2023-24 announced MISHTI for coastline and salt-pan mangrove plantation through MGNREGS and CAMPA convergence.Summary of Union Budget 2023-24 — PIB ↗“to be taken up for mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pan lands, through convergence between MGNREGS”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2019, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 222words · Minimalist IAS
India's mangroves cover 4,992 sq km, about 0.15% of its area (ISFR 2023), yet these salt-tolerant tidal forests guard the coast and breed its fish. Most of their loss is man-made.
✏️ Map to sketch in the exam · Where India's mangroves grow
- Shade: West Bengal = 42.45% of mangrove cover (ISFR 2023)
- Shade: Gujarat = 23.66% of mangrove cover
- Shade: Andaman and Nicobar Islands = 12.39% of mangrove cover
Draw on India's official outline (Survey of India boundary).
Causes of depletion
- Conversion of tidal land: shrimp ponds, salt pans, ports and real estate clear them.
- Local extraction: fuelwood, fodder and grazing thin fragile deltas such as the Sundarbans.
- Altered flows and pollution: dams and embankments cut fresh water and silt; sewage and plastic choke breathing roots.
- Climate stress: sea-level rise and erosion squeeze forests that cannot retreat inland.
Importance in coastal ecology
- Natural sea wall: roots absorb wave energy and trap sediment; villages with more mangroves suffered less in the 1999 Odisha super cyclone.
- Nursery: root channels breed fish, prawns and crabs; the Sundarbans are the world's largest mangrove forest.
- Climate and water services: mangroves store blue carbon, filter pollutants and check saline intrusion.
Way forward
- Since then, MISHTI (Budget 2023-24) aims at about 540 sq km of mangroves across nine States and four UTs by 2028, funded via MGNREGS and CAMPA.
India's later entry into the Mangrove Alliance for Climate at COP27 treats mangroves as climate infrastructure.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
