Bhubaneswar: While Odisha is vulnerable to recurrent natural disasters like cyclones and storms’ Mangrove forests have served as bio-shield along the coastal areas and have helped to save lives and livelihoods of people particularly of fishers and local community.
So, enhancing the ecological health of mangroves is imperative to ensure the sustainability of coast and coastal communities. Accordingly Government of India has launched MISHTI Program with an objective to take up mangrove reforestation and afforestation along the coastal districts of India by adopting best practices that already exist in India as well as from other countries including Indonesia.
Odisha is going to benefitted in a big way. This program is also envisaged to develop mangrove associated ecotourism initiatives and livelihood generation in coastal states. “MISHTI” will contribute to the efforts of ‘Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)’ – an intergovernmental alliance for promotion of Mangrove, of which India became its active member during the (COP27)
Currently, there is approximately 5000 sq kms of area under mangroves and through the MISHTI program an additional area of 540 sq km is proposed to be covered across 9 States and 4 Union Territories. The scheme is planned to be implemented for a period of five years from 2023-2024 to 2027-2028. MISHTI is to be implemented by converging CAMPA Fund, MGNREGS, and other sources