European Academic Research ISSN 2286-4822
ISSN-L 2286-4822
Impact Factor: 3.4546 (UIF)
DRJI Value : 5.9 (B+)
Article Details :
Article Name :
The Effect of Global Warming (Climate Change) on Mangroves of Indus Delta with Relevance to other Prevailing Anthropogenic Stresses A critical review
Author Name :
SYED MOHAMMED SAIFULLAH
Publisher :
Bridge Center
Article URL :
Abstract :
The present paper critically reviews the effects of global warming (climatic change) on mangroves of Indus Delta of Pakistan with particular relevance to other anthropogenic stresses prevalent in the area. A few decades ago they were rated as comprising the fifth largest mangrove forest of the world but now they rank below fifteenth on the list because of their fast degradation due to combined effect of sea level rise and other anthropogenic stresses. The sea level rise in Indus Delta is not only due to melting of glaciers and thermal expansion of water, but is also influenced and magnified by anthropogenic stresses like significant subsidence of the Indus Delta, sharp decline in Indus River discharge of water and sediments, overexploitation of mangrove resources by local inhabitants and timber mafia and rampant urban development. This is evidenced by the fact that the seawater has intruded far inland and more than a million acres of land have been lost to the sea. There has been insignificant increase in mangrove growth which may be attributed due to intensive mangrove plantation and also to global warming but overall the mangroves deteriorated due to the overwhelming effects of other stresses. Several cyclonic storm surges struck the Indus delta in the past century among which the one that happened in 1999 caused severe damage to mangroves and property and claimed several thousand human and cattle lives. In order to manage and conserve mangroves of the delta and to protect them from further deleterious effect of global warming a number of strategies have to be adopted like increasing the flow of the Indus river into the delta, curtailing over exploitation of mangroves, regularizing urban development, mass plantations in denuded and adjacent coastal areas. Nothing significant can be done towards subsidence of the delta because it is an irreversible process, however, ground water extraction may be prohibited to avoid further sinking of the area.
Keywords :
Climatic change; Mangroves; Indus Delta; Sea level rise; Seawater intrusion; Hypersalinity; Subsidence
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