A Special Session on the Tsunami and Coastal Wetlands was organized on 9th February 2005 as part of the Asian Wetland Symposium in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. It was co-organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India, Ramsar Centre Japan, Chilika Development Authority, Wetlands International, Global Environment Centre and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat. It was chaired by Ms Meena Gupta, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and attended by over 150 experts on wetlands, natural resource management and tsunami issues from many countries in the region as well as international organisations. Presentations were made by 15 experts on different aspects of impacts and response options.
Major human impacts of the tsunami include massive loss of life, destruction of coastal settlements and infrastructure, loss of fishing boats and facilities, loss and degradation of agricultural lands and forests, and salinisation and contamination of water resources.
According to a rapid assessment, the main impacts of the tsunami on coastal wetlands varied according to the location and distance from the epicenter/fault line. Impacts include:
- Loss or degradation of mangroves and seagrass beds
- Silting and degradation of coral reefs
- Sedimentation/turbidity of coastal waters leading to algal blooms
- Major changes in intertidal flats and coastal lagoons
Certain wetland types played a role in reducing the tsunami impact, especially in locations further from the epicenter, including coral reefs and mangroves, which broke the impact of the waves and absorbed some of the energy and protected areas further inland. Mangroves stopped people being washed out to sea and trapped debris, reducing further damage.
The main responses to the tsunami by the affected countries in relation to coastal wetlands has been focused initially in rescue and survival of local communities, followed by rapid assessment of impacts which are leading to the development of action plans.
It is now important to provide new, sustainable livelihoods in affected communities linked to wetlands. The top priority is to identify feasible options to provide sustainable livelihoods, which will need to be based on new solutions rather than business as usual (such as over-fishing, inappropriate use of resources, etc.). Incentive and grant schemes need to be considered to help the villagers rebuild their livelihoods and environment and the impacted communities should play a key role in setting priorities in their areas.
Wetlands play an important role in recovery, securing water supply, fisheries, and protection of storm. With 70% of coastal fish species dependent on coastal mangroves or coral reefs, restoration and protection of remaining wetlands will secure future food and freshwater resources.
With respect to protection of the remaining coastal ecosystems, mapping of the remaining intact coastal systems in the region is necessary and areas for protection and sustainable management need to be identified. Sand mining, fishing and other activities must be restricted.
Adequate freshwater resources must be allocated to support the maintenance of estuarine mangroves as well as development of coastal shelterbelts. There is a need for more effective management and enforcement, in which local communities should take a leading role.
Where the use of soft engineering versus hard structures is concerned, it is reported that in some countries without proper assessment, 70% of hard solutions to coastal protection and erosion fail due to poor siting and design. Furthermore, hard structures may simply transfer problems to adjacent areas. Only under selected circumstances (particularly where infrastructure cannot be moved back from the sea) there may be a role for hard protection structures or eco-engineering structures that combine hard and natural structures.
As the coastal greenbelt (mangroves and coastal forest) can play a crucial role in tsunami and storm damage protection, guidelines need to be developed for immediate and medium term measures for greenbelt development. Local communities must be involved in the development and management to ensure long-term maintenance. Mangrove protection should be combined with beach forests and dune protection.
A broader, regional approach is needed, involving al affected countries, to develop early warning systems. Indigenous warning systems and traditional knowledge should be used and options need to be developed for evacuation of people in vulnerable zones – such as through storm shelters.
The AWS Special Session on the Tsunami and Coastal Ecosystems produced a statement of recommendations. These recommendations can be found at the S.A Tsunami page on the River Basin Initiative website: http://www.riverbasin.org/ ev_en.php?ID=3748_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC