Thane district lost 93 hectares of mangroves between 2021 and 2023, equivalent to the size of more than nine Azad Maidans, according to the Indian State of Forest Report.
The report, released by the Forest Survey of India under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, reveals that Mumbai suburban district followed with a loss of 18 hectares, while Mumbai City lost 3 hectares of mangrove cover during the same period.
Overall, the three districts together lost mangrove cover equivalent to nearly eleven Azad Maidans, said the environmental watchdog, NatConnect Foundation.
In contrast, four other coastal districts showed an improvement in mangrove cover: Raigad (700 hectares), Palghar (400 hectares), Ratnagiri (100 hectares), and Sindhudurg (52 hectares).
On the west coast, Gujarat topped the list of mangrove losses with 3,639 hectares over the two years. Meanwhile, Maharashtra led in overall growth with 1,239 hectares of mangrove expansion.
Green groups have expressed concern over the significant mangrove loss, particularly in Mumbai and the Metropolitan Region (MMR).
NatConnect Foundation director B.N. Kumar attributed the loss to "haphazard, mindless development under the guise of infrastructure and real estate." He pointed out that cases of land grabbing and illegal landfills need to be checked. He also stressed that the state government’s plan to install CCTV networks to monitor such activities has been delayed and urged authorities to prioritize this.
“We’ve repeatedly raised concerns about continuous debris dumping on mangroves, along with pollution in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary,” said Nandakumar Pawar, director of Sagar Shakti.
Notably, Uran taluka in Raigad district suffered widespread mangrove damage three years ago. Remarkably, the sea plants have rejuvenated naturally without human intervention, according to Pawar and Kumar, who have been campaigning to protect Uran’s mangroves.
While the report shows an increase in mangrove cover to 31,500 hectares over two years, Maharashtra still lacks any “very dense mangrove” areas. The state only has moderate and open mangrove segments.
West Bengal tops the list for very dense mangrove cover, with 98,100 hectares, followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands (39,800 hectares), Odisha (8,100 hectares), Tamil Nadu (100 hectares), and Karnataka with just 11 hectares of very dense mangroves.
NatConnect Foundation emphasized that Maharashtra must focus on enhancing its very dense mangrove cover, especially in light of growing threats such as rising sea levels.
The Centre underscores the importance of mangroves as unique coastal ecosystems, critical for their biological adaptability, role in protecting coastlines, and contribution to carbon sequestration. These plants act as natural barriers against ocean dynamics like storms, tidal surges, and tsunamis.
Compared to the 2021 assessment, India saw a net decrease of over 700 hectares (-7.43 square kilometers) in mangrove coverage by 2023.