Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your UPSC Current Affairs knowledge nugget for today on Mangroves. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has cleared the original alignment of the 7.129-km Thane Coastal Road Phase II project, which passes through the eco-sensitive zone of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, a Ramsar site. The project is expected to permanently affect 680 mangrove trees, while another 1,053 may be damaged temporarily during construction.1. The decision has renewed concerns over the trade-off between urban infrastructure development and the conservation of mangroves—salt-tolerant coastal vegetation that supports biodiversity and sustains coastal livelihoods. 2. However, the project still requires additional statutory clearances, including approval from the Union Environment Ministry.What are mangroves and why are they unique? 3. Mangroves are tropical forest ecosystems, including salt-tolerant trees and shrubs, typical of estuarine and intertidal regions– meaning they grow in areas where freshwater and saltwater meet. 4. Mangroves typically have aerial, breathing roots and waxy, succulent leaves, and are flowering plants. They thrive in high-rainfall areas (1,000–3,000 mm) with temperatures ranging from 26°C to 35°C. 5. Mangrove ecology is quite unique: the dominant trees in a mangrove ecosystem are capable of excreting salt from their leaves, and can tolerate the high salt content of seawater. Another characteristic that mangroves are known-by is that of aerial roots. Story continues below this ad6. This is a system of extensively developed adventitious roots – i.e. formed from non-root tissue – that extend above the water. Aerial lend physical support to the tree.7. The most unique characteristic of mangroves is the way their seeds/propagules germinate. The seeds actually germinate on the tree itself, and then fall off from the tree into the water, taking root only when encumbered by mud and sediment. 8. This is a very unique adaptation in the mangroves that helps them perpetuate in the harsh saline conditions. Scientifically, this condition is known as vivipary. 9. What van der Stoken and his collaborators found was that the behaviour of these propagules – how far they disperse and where they get established – is affected by changes in sea surface temperature and salinity.Story continues below this ad10. Red mangrove, avicennia marina, grey mangrove, rhizophora etc., are some common mangrove trees. Abundant in swampy and marshy areas, mangroves represent a littoral forest ecosystem, which means they thrive in saline or brackish waters in coastal regions.Where are Mangroves found in India? 11. Mangroves are distributed in 123 nations and territories mostly in the tropics and subtropics. As per the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, India’s mangrove cover is around 4,992 sq. km, constituting 0.15% of the country’s total geographical area. 12. West Bengal has the largest mangrove cover in India. Gujarat comes second with an estimated area of 1,177 sq km, with mangrove forests largely located in the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat. 13. With an estimated mangrove forests spread over 794 sq km, Kutch district has the largest mangrove area in Gujarat. Mangrove ecosystems are also found in Andhra Pradesh (Godavari-Krishna delta), Kerala, and the Andaman Islands. Story continues below this ad14. The Sundarbans (spread across India and Bangladesh) is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world, while Bhitarkanika is the second largest in India. 15. The Sundarbans National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and is famous for the Royal Bengal tigers, Gangetic dolphins, and other flora and fauna. Bhitarkanika is renowned for its vulnerable Olive Ridley turtles and salt-water crocodiles.What are the multifaceted significance of mangroves? “Mangroves are rare, spectacular and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea. These extra ordinary ecosystems contribute to the wellbeing, food security, and protection of coastal communities worldwide.”- UNESCOMangrove are of profound ecological and economic significance, benefiting in multiple ways, such as:Story continues below this ad1. Natural Coastal Defence (Bio-shields): Mangroves serve as natural protective barriers along coastlines and are often described as bio-shields. Their intricate root systems help dissipate wave energy, reduce the impact of strong winds and tidal surges, and prevent coastal and soil erosion.2. Carbon Sinks: Mangroves play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon, often referred to as blue carbon.— According to UNESCO, “One hectare of mangrove can store 3,754 tons of carbon it’s the equivalent of taking 2,650+ cars off the road for one year.”— Mangroves capture atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis and store a substantial proportion of it in their waterlogged soils, where it can remain for thousands of years if the ecosystem remains undisturbed.Story continues below this ad— Unlike many terrestrial forests, where carbon stored in biomass may be released upon decomposition, mangroves sequester considerable amounts of carbon in sediments, allowing long-term storage even when above-ground vegetation is lost.3. Economic Significance: Mangroves sustain the livelihoods of coastal communities by providing access to diverse natural resources. Activities such as fishing, aquaculture, honey collection, harvesting of non-timber forest products and boating support local incomes.— Their ecosystems also serve as habitats for commercially valuable species, including fish, prawns, shrimps and other aquatic organisms, thereby contributing to fisheries and strengthening the blue economy. Mangroves offer recreational tourism opportunities and these must be pursued sustainably. (Credit: Swasti Pachauri)4. Biodiversity Support: Mangrove ecosystems sustain rich biodiversity by providing food, shelter and breeding grounds for a wide range of organisms.Story continues below this ad— They function as nursery habitats for fish and crustaceans, while their vegetation and associated food webs support birds, monkeys, deer and other wildlife.— Mangrove flowers also provide nectar for honeybees, helping sustain pollinator populations and ecological interactions.BEYOND THE NUGGET: Mangrove Conservation Initiatives at National and Global LevelsMISHTI scheme: ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI)’ was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 to promote and conserve mangroves as unique, natural eco-system having very high biological productivity and carbon sequestration potential, besides working as a bio shield. It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on 5th June 2023.Mangrove Alliance for Climate: At the 27th Session of Conference of Parties (COP27), held in Egypt last year, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched to unite countries, including India, “to scale up, accelerate conservation, restoration and growing plantation efforts of mangrove ecosystems for the benefit of communities globally, and recognise the importance of these ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaption”.Story continues below this adMangroves for the Future (MFF): MFF is a unique partner-led initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation for sustainable development.— Co-chaired by IUCN and UNDP, MFF provides a platform for collaboration among the many different agencies, sectors and countries which are addressing challenges to coastal ecosystem and livelihood issues.— It initially focused on the countries that were worst affected by the tsunami — India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand.— More recently it has expanded to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam. Mangroves are the flagship of the initiative, but MFF is inclusive of all types of coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, sandy beaches, seagrasses and wetlands.Post Read QuestionsWhich of the following best explain(s) the rationale for protecting mangrove ecosystems in the context of climate resilience? (UPSC CSE, 2026)1. Mangroves reduce tidal energy and store freshwater, making them ideal sites for paddy cultivation in saline estuarine belts.2. Their salt-sensitive roots filter seawater, making mangroves key to converting coastal land into freshwater aquaculture zones.3. By withstanding tidal surges and offering biomass resources, mangroves function both as natural bio-shields and livelihood bases for rural communities.Select the answer using the code given below:(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 2(c) 2 and 3(d) 3 onlyAnswer: (d)(Sources: 680 mangroves lost for good as Thane road near Ramsar site gets go-ahead, UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mangroves in focus: Understanding significance, threats and conservation, Digging Deep: How mangroves are affected by climate change) Click here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for October 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or write to us at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com.Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X