Valuation of mangrove services of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Mangroves of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are matter of concern in climate change scenario. Present area under mangroves was about 617 sq.km. which has been decreasing over the years(Forest Department A and N Islands 2009). The qualitative assessment indicates that mangroves are 10 folds superior to manmade defense systems in dealing with climate associated disasters (subhash etal. 2012). The total economic value of Andaman Mangroves was worked out to be more than INR. 125 million per year. The value of goods and services harvested by per household per year was more than INR 61,000/-. Similarly, the value of mangroves per hectare in A & N Islands was more than INR 0.2 million. The people’s perception about the use and ecological services delivered by mangroves obtained from 120 respondents. About 95% of the respondents perceived that mangroves will die due to change in sea level. 56% were in opinion that damage of mangroves will result in reduction in fish catch. During 2004 tsunami, the areas fringed with mangroves were less affected than those open seas. Thus, sufficient effort should be made to conserve the existing mangroves.