The Union government has undertaken restoration and conservation of around 22,560 hectares of mangrove land under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) in the last two years, according to official data.
Launched on June 5, 2023, MISHTI aims to restore degraded mangrove forests, promote afforestation, and enhance the resilience of India coastal ecosystems. The scheme was first announced in the Union Budget for 2023–24 to strengthen coastal biodiversity and support sustainable livelihoods.
As per the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, the initiative has covered 22,560.34 hectares across 13 states and Union Territories during 2023–24 and 2024–25 through collaborative plantation and restoration efforts.
Gujarat has emerged as the leader in implementation, accounting for nearly 85% of the total area under MISHTI, with 19,220 hectares restored so far. Tamil Nadu follows with 1,060 hectares, Andhra Pradesh with 837 hectares, and Odisha with 761 hectares.
However despite having the largest mangrove cover in the country, West Bengal has seen minimal participation only about 10 hectares have been brought under the initiative. The state total mangrove cover stands at 2,119 sq km, roughly 42% of India’s total of 4,991 sq km, according to the Forest Survey of India’s 2023 report. Gujarat ranks second with 1,164 sq km, or 23% of the national total.
Highlighting the ecological importance of mangroves, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently cited Gujarat’s success story during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address. He said that mangrove plantations initiated five years ago near Dholera in Ahmedabad have now expanded to over 3,500 hectares. “The effect of these mangroves is visible throughout the area dolphin sightings have increased, aquatic life has flourished, and migratory birds are arriving in larger numbers,” the Prime Minister said.
Environmentalists, however, believe that states like West Bengal need to focus more on restoring existing mangroves rather than creating new plantations. Ajanta Dey of the Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) noted that MISHTI was inspired by a participatory model developed in West Bengal in 2020, which integrated MGNREGA schemes for mangrove restoration.
Dey, whose Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME) project in the Sundarbans has received global recognition, emphasized the need for “environment-assisted natural regeneration” of mangroves. “In fragile regions like the Sundarbans, mangroves act as natural bio-shields. The priority should be restoration through a coordinated platform involving multiple departments to ensure ecological balance and community resilience,” she said.