The Gujarat government targets to increase mangrove cover across its coastline, for which it has initiated a mass campaign to generate awareness and mobilise local community to participate in large-scale plantation.

The awareness generation programmes and community mobilisation activities are planned in over 300 villages along the 1600 km coastline of Gujarat with help of Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC), Environment and Forests department, Principal Secretary, Dr S K Nanda told PTI.

The state Ministry of environment and forests has also decided to undertake mangrove plantation in over 10,000 hectares every year to achieve the set target, Nanda said.

"Gujarat presently has total mangrove cover of about 1050 sq km. We plan to increase the mangrove cover to 1400 sq km in the next 4-5 years," he said.

"Last year we had undertaken mangrove plantation in 10,000 hectares across the coastline, and this year we plan to do mangrove plantation in 12,000 hectares by the end of this financial year 2010-11," Nanda said.

"For such large scale plantation we have undertaken a massive campaign to generate awareness about marine ecosystem that develops due to presence of mangroves. We are also mobilising local communities to participate in the plantation activity," Nanda said.

Mangrove had its own ecology and its presence increases fish in the area, which would help the fishermen in generating livelihood, Nanda said, adding also mangrove checks salinity ingress in the coastal regions.

Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC), Member Secretary, Balagurusami said that they have begun awareness activity along the coast from Valsad in South Gujarat to Kutch.

"As part of this activity we are conducting a day long Coastal Camp wherein 100 participants are selected from a cluster of 10 coastal villages from 30 talukas spread across 12 coastal districts," Balagursami said.

"The camp which began last week emphasises on building the capacity of youngsters residing in coastal areas with regard to conservation of coastal natural resources through their active involvement," he said.

Balagurusami said that they would also be using various means of communication like films, posters and street plays to mobilise community and increase their participation in conserving the mangrove and increase its cover across the coastal area.

Gujarat's mangrove cover is the second largest in the country after West Bengal and covers 1050 sq km.

According to the Forest Survey of India's 2009 report the highest mangrove cover in Gujarat is found in Kutch district - 775 sq km, followed by Jamnagar 157 sq km and Bharuch 42 sq km.

The coastal districts of Surat, Valsad, Navasari of south Gujarat have the least mangrove cover.

Mangroves comprise of salt tolerant plant species that occur along the inter-tidal zones of rivers and seas in the form of narrow strips or as extensive patches in estuarine habitats and river deltas of tropical and sub-tropical regions, Balagurusami said.

They can survive in hostile environment and exhibit a variety of adaptations in terms of morphology, anatomy, physiology, seed and seedling development, he said.

Mangrove forests are considered the most productive and bio-diverse wetlands on earth. These provide critical habitat for a diverse marine and terrestrial flora and fauna. They also keep the marine ecology healthy, he said.

These unique forests are also among the most threatened habitats in the world.

Mangrove perform a number of vital ecological functions in nutrient recycling, coastal protection, fish production.

They are also important from the socio-economic point of view as it provides firewood, timber, fodder, fruits, medicines and honey.