How valuable are mangroves? A new study on Tamil Nadu's Pichavaram says - Rs 2,485.38 crore total economic value, or Rs 1.83 crore per hectare. Not timber value, but ecological, economic and social value that markets never count.
Pichavaram, India's second largest mangrove forest, is one of the most ecologically significant coastal wetlands. It supports biodiversity, fisheries, coastal protection, climate regulation, blue carbon sequestration and livelihood for five mangrove-dependent villages - MGR Thittu, Kalaignar Nagar, Chinnavaikal, Patriadi, and Mudasolodai.
The study, "Economic valuation of ecosystem services (ESV) in the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest" by M. Balasubramanian, Centre for Ecological Economics, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, funded by Deputy Conservator, Forest Genetics Division, Coimbatore, collected primary data from 302 households.
Key finding: soil organic carbon alone is worth Rs 1,224.63 crore. Average soil organic carbon stock is 251.14 tonnes per hectare, economic value Rs 90.24 lakh per hectare. When vegetation and soil carbon pools combine, total blue carbon asset value is Rs 1,612.40 crore.
Why it matters: conventional development planning undervalues mangroves because benefits are non-market. So they are cut for shrimp farms and ports. This study proves mangroves are significant natural carbon sink and valuable climate regulation asset.
The authors recommend integration of ecosystem service valuation into coastal development planning, recognition of mangroves as nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and development of blue carbon financing mechanisms, carbon credit programmes and Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes. If India wants to meet net-zero and protect coast from cyclones, Pichavaram is not wasteland - it is green gold.