Kochi: India demonstrated its dedication to marine ecosystem conservation, with a focus on mangroves and coral reefs, at a United Nations meeting in Seoul, South Korea. The Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) workshop, conducted recently, aimed to accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
During the meeting, India underscored its commitment to marine conservation, presenting research findings from the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The report highlighted CMFRI’s efforts in developing a framework to estimate the conservation value of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs), mapping a total area of 34,127.20 square kilometers, including mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass, salt marsh, sand dunes, mudflats, and more.
Dr. Shubhadeep Ghosh, Assistant Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, and Dr. Grinson George, Principal Scientist and Head of the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division of ICAR-CMFRI, presented India’s report. The presentation covered national conservation priorities and targets, highlighting CMFRI’s research in developing a deep learning-enabled image recognition model for classifying underwater coral images as part of efforts to restore ocean ecosystems.
Dr. Grinson George also discussed CMFRI’s initiatives in coral reef restoration through transplantation in the Gulf of Mannar, the Gulf of Kutch, and the Lakshadweep regions. The report further outlined CMFRI’s endeavors to map the spatial distribution of aquatic invasive species in the northern Indian Ocean region. India’s participation in the workshop aligns with its broader commitment to global goals and targets related to marine and coastal biodiversity.
