Saving salt pan lands, mangroves is priority

The authorities have woken up to the dangers of climate change and global warming. Efforts are being made to find ways to mitigate their effects. But a lot more has to be done, and fast. The next five years are going to be crucial, experts say. The new forest minister of the state will have to get cracking right from the word go as his tenure is going to be full of challenges.

The rising sea level is threatening Mumbai. One of the biggest challenges for the forest minister will be to save the salt pan land in and around Mumbai. He will also have to put an end to the large-scale mangrove destruction along the city coastline, failing which millions of lives will be affected.

“Mangroves are the natural barrier between the sea and the land. Their importance has increased manifold because of the erratic weather pattern Mumbai is prone to,” said Debi Goenka, member of Conservation Action Trust.

The state needs more forest cover, said Prof Nishikant Kale, a climate change expert from Amravati. Vehicular pollution has been brought down, but still vehicles are emitting a lot of carbon dioxide. “Carbon tax needs to be imposed on vehicles,” Kale said.

To stop the man-animal conflict, particularly in Vidarbha, the grazing policy, which has been unchanged since 1968, needs to be restructured. Also eco-sensitive zones will have to be created around protected areas in the state.