Oceans and Coasts

With horror we saw on television, the Japanese experience of a huge 9.0 scale earthquake, followed by a terrible tsunami. The first images show large amounts of black water entering the country side and passing over the protective wall barriers.

Fisherfolk form an important community in Kerala, but remain neglected and marginalised inspite of the higher socio-economic progress the state has made as a whole.

Issue of Commons and institutional arrangements:

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

While the whole globe is enjoying its fishy favorites, very few are taking into account that there’s something else lurking in the water: Garbage.

This was done as a part of a project that aimed at compiling scientifically robust and impartial information on the physical impacts of climate change for more than 20 countries.

This working paper by the World Bank presents the findings of a study that was conducted as a collaborative initiative by the World Bank and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairyin

Description:
Half of the Earth’s population is living in coastal areas and the population density here is the double compared to the global average. Coastal zones all over the world are exposed to serious challenges related to over population and to competitive use of resources and ecosystem services from activities such as agriculture, fishery, tourism, urbanisation and industry. Sensitive ecosystems and negative effects from climate change increase the importance of a sustainable development and the need for an integrated planning and management, where the needs and rights of vulnerable groups are taken into account.

It has a ready to use reference guide on methodological aspects of data (metadata) based on harmonized concepts and methodologies that facilitate international comparison and help in aggregation of statistics to derive meaningful conclusions. The adoption of the methodology suggested in this manual will go a long way in facilitating data aggregation and data comparison both at intra-regional levels, including international levels.

The section on both marine and inland fisheries consists of four chapters and appendices. Chapter I highlights the significance of the sector, need for statistical standards and development of statistical system of the sector. Concepts and definitions are placed in Chapter II. Chapter III presents sources of data and details of methodology being adopted for generating these data. Chapter IV conveys the suggestion for ensuring quality standards. Lastly, appendices include estimation methods, forms and schedules and major resources available in the Indian waters.

Content and Media Courtesy: International Union for Conservation of Nature

This 116,500 hectare brackish lagoon separated from the Bay of Bengal by a long sandy ridge was added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in 1981.This was because the lagoon was facing serious degradation due to siltation and choking of the seawater inlet channel, resulting in the proliferation of invasive freshwater species, the decrease in fish productivity, and an overall loss of biodiversity [1].