Management challenges in marine protected areas: a field note from the Malvan Marine Sanctuary, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8851.17.1.26401-26408Keywords:
Coastal ecosystem, corals, fishery management, government policy, legislation, mangroves, management, marine biodiversity, marine conservation, sustainable management, wildlifeAbstract
Marine protected area (MPA) is an umbrella term for the protection and conservation of coastal biodiversity. MPAs are expected to work as an effective tool for marine biodiversity conservation and fishery management. As India has an extensive coastline of 7,517 km that supports approximately 250 million people for their livelihood, the existence of prosperous coastal and marine ecosystems is imperative for the sustainable economic growth of the country. In India, MPA is part of the protected area network notified under the Wildlife Protection Act, of 1972. In view of the socio-economic angle of the MPA, conserving the specific marine habitat and sustaining commercial activities like fishing pose tremendous challenges in achieving conservation goals. In this context, this paper evaluates the management challenges of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary located in Maharashtra State of India and subsequently discusses the possible solutions for effectively managing the sanctuary.
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