TAG: GS-3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
CONTEXT: India’s first study on ‘teal carbon’, undertaken at Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, has highlighted the significance of wetland conservation to address the challenges of climate adaptation and resilience. The pilot project sought to develop holistic nature-based solutions to address climate change.
EXPLANATION:
About the teal carbon:
Teal carbon refers to carbon stored in non-tidal freshwater wetlands, including carbon in vegetation, microbial biomass, and dissolved or particulate organic matter. It plays a significant role in regulating greenhouse gases.
- Teal carbon is an emerging term linked to carbon sequestration in coastal ecosystems, particularly those beyond the traditional blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. While blue carbon focuses on these coastal vegetative habitats, teal carbon encompasses a wider range of coastal and ocean ecosystems, including non-vegetative habitats like tidal flats, and even organisms like fish that play a role in the carbon cycle.
Why is the Keoladeo National Park significant for this study:
- Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, was chosen for India’s first teal carbon study due to its rich freshwater wetlands, which serve as a critical ecosystem for evaluating teal carbon’s role in climate adaptation and resilience.
What are the potential benefits of teal carbon ecosystems:
- Teal carbon ecosystems can help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon, raising groundwater levels, reducing urban heat islands, and mitigating floods. However, degradation of wetlands can lead to methane and carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to global warming.
- They help sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping to meet climate goals under agreements like the Paris Agreement.
- Teal carbon represents carbon stored and sequestered in both vegetative and non-vegetative coastal ecosystems, expanding on the idea of blue carbon.
- It can include areas like tidal mudflats, fish and marine animals’ biomass, and deeper sea ecosystems where carbon can also be stored.
- Coastal ecosystems (both teal and blue carbon ecosystems) serve as significant carbon sinks.
- Challenges include pollution, changes in land use, water extraction, and landscape modifications. These factors degrade wetlands, releasing harmful greenhouse gases.
- Conservation efforts involve reducing methane emissions using biochar, a carbon-rich material, and ensuring sustainable water and vegetation management in wetlands.
Importance for India
- India’s vast coastline, rich in mangroves, estuaries, and coral reefs, also has significant areas of non-vegetative ecosystems like mudflats and sandy beaches that fall under teal carbon.
- The Sundarbans, Chilika Lake, and Gulf of Kutch are key areas where blue and teal carbon can be enhanced to support India’s carbon reduction goals.
- India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and initiatives like the Mangrove for Future (MFF) and Blue Economy policies, can be extended to include teal carbon-focused strategies.
Challenges:
- Limited scientific understanding and research regarding teal carbon’s contribution to global carbon cycles.
- Difficulty in monitoring and quantifying carbon sequestration in non-vegetative ecosystems like tidal flats.
- Coastal degradation and pollution are significant threats to the health of both teal and blue carbon ecosystems in India.
What is the global significance of teal carbon storage:
- Globally, freshwater wetlands store an estimated 500.21 petagrams of carbon (PgC). Effective conservation of these ecosystems could significantly contribute to global climate change mitigation efforts.
- Programs like the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and initiatives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) include efforts to study and conserve coastal and marine ecosystems, indirectly promoting teal carbon ecosystems.
- Countries with large coastlines, such as India, have significant potential to enhance their climate action by preserving and restoring both blue and teal carbon systems.
Signification:
- Research and data collection: More investment in research on the role of non-vegetative coastal ecosystems in carbon sequestration is essential.
- Conservation initiatives: Expanding the scope of existing coastal conservation programs to include both blue and teal carbon ecosystems.
- Community-based efforts: Engaging local communities in coastal areas to play a role in protecting these ecosystems, which would help in their sustainable management.
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