Coastal Ecosystems of the Tropics - Adaptive Management, 1st ed. 2019

The coastal areas of the tropics are rich in biodiversity, natural resources and place of intensive developmental activities as it provides livelihood to millions of people.  At the same time evidences suggest that several unique coastal ecosystems viz., mangroves, wetlands, salt marshes, corals, estuaries, sand dunes and agro-ecosystem are vulnerable to natural disasters and events associated with global climate change. In recent times degradation of land, water and genetic erosion besides threat to native flora and fauna have been increasing due to unsustainable developmental activities.  Therefore, a paradigm shift in deriving livelihood through conventional methods, developmental strategies, conservation practices are required for balanced and sustainable growth of the coastal areas.  This publication strives to cover the status of different natural resources of the coastal region, various aspects of degradation process, production need and restorative methods besides new technological options and its socio-economic implications with case examples. Special focus is given to bring out the scope and potential of mangrove based farming, integrated and organic farming and its value addition besides the role of coastal vegetations as bioshield in protecting these regions from sea erosion, cyclones and tsunami.  As the tropical coastal areas are vulnerable to climate change events, this book also covers the recent weather pattern, impacts of climate change and climate resilient technologies besides intuitional linkages and policy framework aimed at balancing development and environmental concerns. 

Overview .- Coastal Regions of the tropics : An Introduction.- Coastal ecosystems and Services.- Status of natural resources in the coastal ecosystem.- Land Resources of the Tropics vis-a-vis the Hinterland.- Coastal Floral Diversity and its Significance.- Coastal Fauna and Human Perturbation.- Coastal Wetlands – Status and Strategies for Development.- Crop Genetic Diversity in the Tropical Coastal Areas.- Water Resources and the Changing Needs.- Natural Disasters and Coastal Agro-ecosystems.- Threats and strategies for coastal ecosystem management.- Sand Mining and Strategies for its Management.- Climate Change and its Impact on the Coastal Region.- Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for Coastal Areas.- Strategies and Collaborations for Management of Coastal Areas.- Conservation of coastal ecosystem.- Biodiversity Conservation and Restorative Measures.- Alternative Farming Systems for Diversification and Conservation of Agro-Biodiversity.- Agroforestry for Livelihood and Biodiversity Conservation.- Land and Water Conservation: Dealing with Agriculture and Aquaculture Conflicts.- Conservation Agriculture for Rehabilitation of Agro-ecosystems.- Enhancing the productivity of coastal region.- Water Management for More Crops per Drop in the Coastal Areas.- Approaches in Land Degradation Management for Productivity Enhancement.- Biosaline Agriculture.- Aquaculture Based Systems for Harmonious Development of Coastal Region.- Mangroves and Sustainable Development of the Coastal Region.- Bioremediation: Key to Restore the Productivity of Coastal Areas.- Balancing Development and Environmental Impact in the Coastal Regions

Dr. Velmurugan Ayyam is working as Principal Scientist in ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, India.  He has vast experience of working in the tropical region and has expertise in natural resource management, study of bio-geo-chemical cycles and climate change impact assessment in agro-ecosystems using remote sensing and GIS.  He has worked in the World Bank funded land degradation management and water harvesting in the tsunami affected areas to restore the productivity of coastal areas and improve the livelihood of poor people.  He has successfully implemented several developmental projects involving technology dissemination for the benefit of coastal communities and tribal people.  He was a visiting scientist to Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.  He has also worked in collaborative educational programme with ITC, Netherlands and successfully guided several Ph.D., and M.Tech and P.G. Diploma students in different aspects of natural resource management.  He has published several peer reviewed research articles in reputed research journals and authored several books. 

Dr. Swarnam Palanivel is working as Principal Scientist in ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, India.  She has vast experience of working in the tropical islands and has proficiency in integrated farming systems, natural resource management, crop modeling and study of impact of agricultural practices on the island ecosystems.  She has been working in resource characterization and optimization, farming system models for disadvantaged areas, restorative measures for enhancing farm productivity in island ecosystem.  She has successfully developed methods for faster recycling of organic wastes, utilization of native microbial resources and assessment of island agro-ecosystem.  She has successfully implemen