Indiscriminate and irrational use of natural resources in the
guise of development has already caused a great damage to the global ecosystem.
There is rampant air, water and land pollution. Several conservations plans
have been initiated worldwide to contain the damage. One such concerted effort
is the declaration of the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands as new
“hope spots” at the third International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC)
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Oceanographer
Sylvia Earle of Mission Blue. The main objective of this congress has been to
protect the rapidly disappearing of the exquisite marine fauna and flora.
Hope Spots are a brain-Child of the frontier marine biologist
Sylvia Earle who lead more than 50 sea expeditions and recipient of the TED
2009 prize. With TED’s support she initiated Mission Blue which aims to
establish the marine protected areas “Hope Spots”. She was described by Time as
the “Hero for the Planet” and “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and New York
Times. She worked tirelessly for nearly four decades the conservation of the
marine life. She is an advocate of world oceans and the underwater life. She
voices out the urgent need for an awakening among public about the importance
of maintaining the health of oceans and the significant role they play in our
lives. Hope spots are the places in the
ocean that merit special protection because of their unique wildlife and
habitats. They are the places where
human activities and impacts will be minimised. Subsequently the unique and
vital ecosystems within Hope Spots will have a chance to recover and to
flourish. Each hope spot has been chosen for their geographical uniqueness, its
diversity of marine life and its exceptional habitat. Hence full protection of
these vital areas must become a global priority. Hot spots are the areas which provide a breathing
space to the ocean. The areas help to recover and rejuvenate from the human
activities that have highly impacted the fragile ecosystem of the ocean. These
are termed as hope spots since revival and conservation of these spots would
offer real offer for restoring imperilled health of oceans.
IMPAC-3 held at Marseille, France was attended by around 1200
scientist and marine biologists from different countries proposed plans for the
conservation and sustainable development of Oceans. The Congress has announced
a bold plan for the inclusion of 31 new Mission blue hope spots to the already
existing list of 17 places on the list. These places are spread all over the globe and
experts believe that marine protection is necessary for a substantial future. The congress has set an agenda for “Marine
Protected Area with a keen focus on the management, financing, ecological
representativity, local integration and high seas stewardship”. Earth is
referred to as Blue planet and the heart of our planet are Oceans. Around 12%
of the land is under various worldwide Conservation programmes (like the
national parks, reserve forests, heritage sites etc) whereas only 1% of Ocean
area is protected.
Oceans generate about 70% of oxygen and sequester the carbon
dioxide, thus maintaining equilibrium and reducing the spiralling effects of
the global warming. They also regulate the climate, chemistry and weather of
the planet. Over 2/3 rd of earth is ocean and its volume represents 90% of
living space. Hence there is dire need to create and build networks of marine
protected areas, maintain healthy diversity, provide carbon sink, generate
life-giving oxygen, preserve critical habitat and permit eco-tourism that cause
minor impact on the ocean life.
Hope spots are of utmost importance presently as experts in
marine biology and conservation believe that we are just at the sweet time
where corrective steps can revive the Ocean’s health. With this firm hope IUCN,
Mission Blue is mobilising international agencies as stakeholders in averting
further damage and destruction to the fragile marine habitats.
Andaman Nicobar Islands have a very high degree of
biodiversity and are characterised by flora and fauna which are endemic. The
islands are home for 270 species of birds, 14 of which are endemic and have 2200
varieties of plants. It has a vast collection of butterflies of moths, nearly
225 species could be found on the islands. The islands have 6 national parks
and 94 wild life sanctuaries. These islands have the richest fringing coral
reefs of Indian subcontinent. This kind of coral reefs grow directly from a
shore and hence increased human activity, siltation, effluent discharge and
intensive agriculture might lead to their decimation. Coral reefs offer
protection to the coast line against soil erosion and also harbour host of
animals like fishes, molluscs, sponges, echinoderms, crabs, lobsters, sea
anemones and other organisms.
Lakshadweep is a cluster of 39 islands and islets. These are
called Indian Coral islands and have the largest group of atolls. Atolls are
circular Oceanic reef system surrounding a large central lagoon. A lagoon is a
wide band of water that lies between shore and main area of reef development.
The island has unique collection of corals, seaweeds, gastropods, bivalves and
101 species of birds; nearly 600 flowering species have been identified. Atolls
are unique kind of coral formations found mostly in the Indo-Pacific regions.
Another region Maldive Atoll in India has been listed as a hope spot and four
more are included in proposed list.
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