Kochi:India's coastal and marine ecosystems comprising sandy beaches, estuaries, creeks and mangroves are facing destruction due to development and associated activities, pollution and climate change, a leading global conservation organisation said.
On the eve of World Ocean's Day, a note prepared by the International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated that in India, a large number of people are dependent on the coastal and marine ecosystems and their resources, for survival and livelihood.
June 8 is World Oceans Day, the United Nations day for celebrating the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspiring action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources.
"In spite of their ecological and economic importance and the existence of the policy and regulatory frameworks, India's coastal and marine ecosystems are under increasing threat.
The major drivers of change and degradation are mainly anthropogenic," said the note, a copy of which was accessed by the media.
It pointed out that numerous direct and indirect pressures arising from different types of economic development and associated activities have adverse impacts on coastal and marine biodiversity across the country.
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"Major anthropogenic direct drivers of ecosystem degradation and destruction include habitat conversion to other forms of land use, overexploitation of resources and associated destructive harvesting practices, the spread of invasive alien species, pollution from domestic, agricultural and industrial effluents and climate change," the note said.