Lok Sabha Question No. 1554 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-04
Subject: Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1554 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 4 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## FOURTH GLOBAL CORAL BLEACHING EVENT

## 1554. SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event is affecting coral  reefs along country's coastline  and  if  so,  the  specific  regions  experiencing  significant  bleaching  and  the  causes contributing to this event;
- (b) whether the Government has undertaken/accepted any proposal to use satellite imagery and other advanced technologies to map and monitor regions in the country that are at risk of or have already experienced coral reef loss, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  current  status  of  country's  coral  reef  health  monitoring  systems,  including  any  recent data on coral cover decline in areas such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and the Gulf of Mannar; and
- (d) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  mitigate  coral  bleaching  and  promote coral  reef  restoration  along  country's  coastlines,  including  community-led  conservation efforts or Government partnerships with environmental organizations?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes. In India, the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event (GCBE4) has impacted regions such as  the  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands,  Gulf  of  Mannar,  Lakshadweep,  and  the  Gulf  of Kachchh.
- (b) The Government of India has launched several programs using advanced technologies like satellite imagery to manage and protect coral reef ecosystems:
-  National  Centre  for  Sustainable  Coastal  Management  (NCSCM),  under  Ministry  of Environment Forest and  Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is working on Coral Reef in situ  Observation  Network (CReON) program which focuses on long-term coral reef health monitoring, calcification rates and ocean acidification, based on deployment of Data  Buoy  and  Automated  Weather  Stations  at  various  Coral  Reef  sites  along  the Indian Coast including Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. NCSCM has mapped 1439 sq km of the coral reefs of India, as per the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (CRZ), 2011 and 2019. Recently, NCSCM has submitted a proposal to the MoEF&CC to map the coral biodiversity of the Lakshadweep Islands, to determine the  current  extent  and  status  (health)  of  the  coral  reefs  of  Lakshadweep  under  the National Coastal Mission.
-  Space  Applications  Centre  (SAC),  ISRO,  Ahmedabad  has  undertaken  a  project  on Inventory of Indian Coral Reefs: Mapping, monitoring and their Health Assessment at the behest of Department of Biotechnology & Department of Space (DBT & DOS). As part of this study, SAC is mapping the coral reef regions of India at 1:25,000 scale and has  mapped  the  reefs  of  Malvan,  Maharashtra  using  Resourcesat-2  Linear  Imaging Self  Scanner  (LISS)  -  IV  sensor's  data  pertaining  to  2020  timeframe  using  digital image  processing,  image  classification  and  Geographic  Information  System  (GIS) based post-classification analysis. The new geospatial database is also compared with SAC, ISRO's  earlier  coral  reef  database  pertaining  to  2004-08  timeframe  based  on Resourcesat-1 LISS-IV and LISS-III sensors' data for decadal monitoring.
-  Indian  National  Centre  for  Ocean  Information  Services  (INCOIS),  Hyderabad under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) provides coral bleaching alert services based on satellite-derived  sea  surface  temperature  data  for  Indian  coral  ecosystems.  These alerts highlight coral regions impacted by bleaching due to thermal stress.
-  National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai under MoES is also carrying out coral bleaching monitoring studies in Palk Bay, Andaman Island and Lakshadweep Island. Regular monitoring of the health of the reef, bleaching event & recovery status, mapping  the  coral  reefs  using  remote  Sensing  and  insitu  efforts  and  restoration activities are also being done.
- (c) The  Zoological  Survey  of  India  is  dedicated  to  monitor  the  India's  coral  reefs  through various efforts such as LTPMPs, Coral Restoration, Coral Transplantation, research on the reproductive  biology  of  scleractinian  corals,  studies  on  bleaching-resistant  corals  and zooxanthellae, and more.

|   Sl. No. | Coral Reef Areas of India faced Fourth Global Coral Bleaching   | Bleaching impact                                                                          | Cause of Bleaching                                  |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands                                     | Observed small scale bleaching in the Andaman region only especially South Andaman region | Increase in sea surface temperature: El Niño effect |

|   2. | Gulf of Mannar   | Small scale bleaching in some patchy areas   | Increase in sea surface temperature: El Niño effect   |
|------|------------------|----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|    3 | Lakshadweep      | Widespread bleaching                         | Increase in sea surface temperature: El Niño effect   |

|   Sl. No. | Coral Reef Areas            | Coral Bleaching Status 2023-24       | Post Bleaching Status                                                        |
|-----------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 15-18% in South Andaman Islands only | Most of the reefs recovered. Studies are going on to record the status       |
|         2 | Gulf of Mannar              | 27%                                  | Most of the reefs recovered. Studies are going on to record the status       |
|         3 | Lakshadweep                 | 84.6%                                | Some of the reefs recovered. Studies are under progress to record the status |

Preliminary results from  the project on Inventory  of  Indian  Coral  Reefs  by  SAC, Ahemedabad  indicates  apparent  loss  of  reef  area  for  Malvan  reef  in  Maharashtra  over  a period  of  thirteen  years  (2007  to  2020).  The  same  condition  is  observed  for  four  reefs (Koswari,  Nalla  Tanni  Tivu,  Pichaimoopan  Valasai  and  Shingle  reef)  over  a  period  of twelve  to  fourteen  years  (2004/05  to  2018)  out  of  the  eleven  reefs  mapped  for  Gulf  of Mannar.

- (d) The Government of India has  taken the following  initiatives  in  order  to  reduce  the  stress faced by coral reefs of the Indian subcontinent:
-  Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has been collecting coral reef data through in-situ observations,  focusing  on  restoration  strategies  and  ecological  threats  from  2002 onwards.
-  Corals and coral reefs are classified as CRZ-IA area under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011 and 2019.
-  Marine  Protected  Areas  (MPAs)  have  been  established  and  expanded  to  limit human activities, promoting ecosystem (coral reef) recovery.
-  The  ZSI  has  mapped  143.46  square  kilometers  of  coral  reefs  outside  Protected Areas  in  the  Andaman  Islands  and  is  conducting  research  on  coral  growth  and reproductive strategies.
-  India's largest coral translocation project in the Gulf of Kachchh has successfully moved over 16,000 corals to new locations to aid reef restoration.
-  India collaborates with international organizations like NOAA and ICRI to enhance coral conservation efforts and align with global standards.
-  The  government  has  implemented  legal  protections  for  corals  under  the  Wildlife Protection  Act,  1972,  and  the  Coastal  Regulation  Zone  (CRZ)  notifications  to regulate human activities impacting coral reefs.
-  Successful restoration of corals in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay was carried out by  NCCR  jointly  with  the  Department  of  Environment  &  Forest  (Wild  Life Division-Gulf  of  Mannar  Marine  Park  Authority).  Species  such  as Acropora sp., Porites sp., Favites sp., Favia sp., Goniastrea sp.,  and Montipora sp. corals were used for the restoration programs.

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