Coastal Environment - Odisha, India (global Scale) Flashcards
Describe the location of Odisha:
India, east coast, Indian state, Bay of Bengal to its east, not the wealthiest, NEE, isnt that popular with tourists
What does resilience mean?
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness
What does mitigation mean?
The action of reducing the severity, seriousness of something
What does adaptation mean?
The process of change by which something becomes better switched to its environment
What is some unique ecology in odisha?
- ther are large stocks of fish, marine mammals, reptiles and olive Ridley turtles, sea grass meadows and abundant seaweed
- the chilika lake bird sanctuary boasts over 150 migratory and resident species of bird
- many local people are employed in coastal fishing and increasing in aquaculture such as shrimps
- presence of dense mangrove vegetation
What are the dominant processes in odisha coastline?
- most accretion (deposition) is in the north, focused on the major deltas
- most of the erosion is in the south. Here there are major structures (sea walls, rock armour) protecting infrastructure (mainly ports) which have interfered with natural processes, axacerberating rates of erosion
- due to dense presence of mangrove, coastal districts of Bhadrak and kendrapara show levels of accretion that are more than 50% higher than anywhere else on the coast
What % of sediment is eroded, deposited or stable?
Erosion = 36.8%
Deposition = 46.8%
Stable = 14.4%
Describe the sediment at Odisha’s coastline:
- 35% of the coastal stretch is laden with substantial sediment minerals and heavy metal deposits. There are important clay and limestone resources in the north of the state
- the Odisha coast is essentially one of deposition. It therefore represents a significant sediment store, providing a source of sediment for this part of the Bay of Bengal
- human intervention has a major impact on the system, interfering with sediment transfer and destabilising patterns of wave energy, resulting in severe erosion
- sediment is mainly in beaches, salt marshes
What are some risks for Odisha?
- at risk from tropical cyclones and storm surges e.g. cyclone Phaillin 2013, with winds up to 200km//h
- erosion (only 14.4% of material is stable)
- pollution from new industry and also tourists
- sea level rise
What are some opportunities for Odisha?
- offshore winds (fishing)
- lots of biodiversity
- plentiful fish stocks for industry
- tidal and wave power (can generate renewable energy) - jobs
- offshore wind power
- seabed mining
- tourism to sea wildlife and environment
- offshore oil
Describe cyclone Phailin:
Formed in Bay of Bengal, heading west towards the coastline, category 5 storm, grows in intensity as it travels, however looses energy once its hit the land, and eventually gets smaller and smaller the further into land it goes
How does Odisha mitigate to its hazards?
- providing relief supplies ahead of an approaching storm
- broadcasting warnings and conducting staged evacuations away from most vulnerable areas
- the relatively small death toll pays testament to the mitigation strategies. Aswel as the resilience of people and their ability to adapt to changing circumstances
List the stakeholders involved in the decision making process of management in Odisha:
Government of Odisha, gov of India, MoEFCC (ministry of environmental forest), SICOM, World bank, Indians gov, wild life living forest and environment department
Video on Odisha coastline, what they did:
- ICZM implemented in sep 2010 (covers 186 of 480 km coastline - under half)
- spent money on 600 projects to move people away from fishing (not stable enough for economy)
- thought of ways to add value to fish, drying and salting them
- try to get women involved in schemes so that they will be able to work with them in the future
- alternative livelihood (don’t need to live by coast anymore)
- money put into micro businesses e.g. women making woven rugs
- eco tourism so that it doesn’t ruin environment (55% increase in tourism employment)
- built 14 shelters for natural disasters (in total hold up to 14,000). when not being used for this, they have community activities there
- 505 metres of techno mesh (similar to gabion cages). This is reliable as it wont move during storms unlike the rock armour in front . Need to protect fertile land behind (protects 6000 hectares)
- measure relates of deposition and erosion then decide what to do next
Explain the role of ICZM in Odisha’s management:
- they take into account the entire coastline in order to coordinate the activities of various stakeholders and promote the sustainable use of the coasts natural resources while maintaining the natural environment
- there are a variety of stakeholders and people involved. The local community has had there opinion about what they think should be done
- they are helping to try and reverse decades of mangrove destruction, helping villagers to cultivate and plant mangroves along the coastline, and also on the banks of all tidal rivers along Odisha’s coast
Why was mangrove planting so important, what is the evidence?
Was necessary as in 1999, during “super cyclone” Kalina, villages that still had four or more kilometres of mangroves recorded no deaths.
What are the positives of mangroves?
- provide a habitat, add to coastal ecosystem
- they work by reducing wave energy and therefore deposition occurs and so material builds up, helping with the issue of sea level rise
- over 3 million have been planted, as they are very cheap
- local people can get involved in the planting and maintenance of these
- take in co2 which is good for the environment
What are the negatives of mangroves?
- over 80% of them die before they mature add build up a substantial forest
- the strategy doesn’t work everywhere as they take up a lot of space, so need a large sum of land
- gets in the way of fishing industry
