Assessment of Seagrass Ecosystems’ Goods and Services of India

Abstract

Nearly every shallow coastal region on Earth is home to seagrass, a type of marine flowering plant. They grow down to depths where just 11% of surface light reaches the bottom after colonizing soft substrates like mud, sand, and cobbles. Seagrasses often choose wave-sheltered environments where sediments are shielded from waves and currents. The seagrass environment serves as a home to large animals like dugongs and marine mammals like ducks and geese. The seagrass serves as a feeding and refuge area for the related creatures for the entirety or a portion of their life cycles. Raw materials and food, medicine, fertilizer, coastal protection, erosion control, water purification, fisheries maintenance, nursery grounds, invertebrate habitats, carbon sequestration, tourism, recreation, support for education, and research are just a few of the goods and services provided by seagrass to the coastal community. The value of a seagrass ecosystem's products and services to human well-being can be measured, and this can be used to support the need for seagrass ecosystem preservation, transfer, and regeneration. Many valuation studies are conducted to estimate the various goods and services produced by the seagrass ecosystem. The total area of seagrass distribution in the coastal States and UTs of India is 51822 ha, distributed in 4162 seagrass patches. Using meta-analysis and an average of Benefit Transfer (BT) method, the Total Economic Value (TEV) of seagrass has been estimated as Rs. 2594342/ha/yr. ($ 55,637/ha/yr.) with a maximum of Rs. 5948650 ha/yr. ($1,27,571/ha/yr.) and a minimum of 791448/ha/yr. ($ 16,973/ha/yr.). Subsequently, the total equivalent economic benefit from seagrass beds in India has been quantified at Rs.13444 crore/yr. ($ 2,88,31,22,453/yr.).