This is the first issue in the ENVIS Thematic Bulletins series to be published by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). In its fifth national report to CBD, India adopted national biodiversity targets that promote effective and equitable area-based conservation measures that are to be integrated with the country’s seascapes. In this context, this ENVIS bulletin, ‘Coastal and Marine Protected Areas: Challenges and Way Forward’, presents collated and analysed information for those concerned with conservation and management of the marine environment in India.
The introduction of this issue of the bulletin summarizes the extent of the MPAs in the country and provides a complete description of the biodiversity treasures of the coastal and marine regions in India. Section I presents status reports of MPAs in nine coastal States/Union Territories that address the entire gamut of issues related to management of MPAs in the respective States/Union Territories. Section II gives an overview of the important coastal and marine biodiversity areas of peninsular India, highlighting their importance, management and conservation. The gaps in research and management of marine biodiversity in the country are discussed in Section III and Section IV. Section V deals with the tools and techniques used in monitoring marine biodiversity and habitats in India. A selected bibliography on MPAs in India is provided in the last section of this issue.