Title: The role of mangroves in disaster mitigation: a review

Authors: Seema Unnikrishnan; Anju Singh; Manoj G. Kharat

Addresses: Centre for Environmental Studies, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), NITIE P.O., Vihar Lake, Mumbai – 400087, Maharashtra, India. ' Centre for Environmental Studies, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), NITIE P.O., Vihar Lake, Mumbai – 400087, Maharashtra, India. ' Centre for Environmental Studies, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), NITIE P.O., Vihar Lake, Mumbai – 400087, Maharashtra, India

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to study the role played by mangrove ecosystems in minimising the impact of disasters like tsunami, floods and cyclones. A comparison of the studies concerning effective mitigation of tsunami and natural disasters by mangrove ecosystems was carried out for countries with special focus on India. A study about the role of mangroves across various states in India is also presented. The main findings, based on the literature review, are that mangroves occurring near the coast play an important role in the protection of the coast from the natural disasters like tsunami, floods, cyclones, sea level rise, etc. It is concluded that it is necessary to realise the dangers and consequences of undermining the services provided by the mangrove ecosystems in coastal protection and to conserve mangroves in every part of the world. The value of this paper lies in presenting an exhaustive review of the role played by mangroves in mitigating disasters.

Keywords: mangroves; tsunami; cyclones; floods; disaster mitigation; flooding; mangrove ecosystems; natural disasters; India; costal protection; mangrove conservation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2012.049180

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2012 Vol.11 No.2, pp.164 - 179

Received: 24 Sep 2011
Accepted: 27 May 2012
Published online: 30 Aug 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article