Subject: GS 03: Environment
Context: Andhra Pradesh ranked second among Indian states under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI).
- The state reportedly developed mangrove plantations over 2,047.70 hectares during 2025–26 with an expenditure of ₹18.04 crore.
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About MISHTI
- Full Form: Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes.
- Launch: MISHTI was announced in the Union Budget 2023–24 and launched on 5 June 2023.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Objective: To undertake mangrove afforestation and restoration along India’s coastline and on suitable salt-pan lands.
- Implementation: It envisages convergence with existing funding and employment programmes, including the compensatory-afforestation framework and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Fish Bone Technique
- Method: A network of tidal channels is created in a pattern resembling a fish skeleton to reconnect degraded mangrove land with natural tidal flows.
- Purpose: Restoring tidal-water circulation can improve sediment and nutrient movement and create conditions conducive to natural mangrove regeneration.
- Reported Use: Andhra Pradesh adopted the technique to improve plantation survival and strengthen the long-term resilience of restoration sites; measured outcome data were not supplied.
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Andhra Pradesh’s Performance
- Restoration Area: The Forest Department reported developing plantations across 2,047.70 hectares during 2025–26.
- Investment: The reported expenditure on coastal ecosystem restoration was ₹18.04 crore.
- 2026–27 Target: The state set a target of restoring 1,618 hectares; a separate statement described the target as another 4,000 acres, which is approximately equivalent, although the report did not clarify whether their programme coverage was identical.
- State Initiative:
- The activities form part of the Great Green Wall of Andhra Pradesh initiative.
- It draws inspiration from Africa’s Great Green Wall and the Aravalli Green Wall Project.
- It also adopted the Fish Bone Technique, an innovative restoration method designed to improve tidal water circulation, increase mangrove survival rates and enhance long-term ecological resilience
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Importance of Mangroves
- Coastal Protection: Mangroves reduce the impact of storm surges, waves and coastal erosion.
- Biodiversity: Their intertidal habitats serve as breeding, nursery and feeding grounds for numerous marine and coastal species.
- Blue Carbon: Mangrove vegetation and waterlogged soils can capture and store substantial quantities of coastal carbon.
- Livelihoods: Healthy mangroves support fisheries and other ecosystem-based livelihoods of coastal communities.
29 Jul 2026
