Webinar on Marine Protected Areas

With a coastline stretching for 7517km, covering an exclusive economic zone of 2.02 million km², India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world. Its rich coastal area provides for and supports approximately 30% of India’s coastal population. However, these ecosystems and the marine life encompassed within face a range of threats due to various anthropogenic activities. This has created a need to protect marine life from threats such as climate change and has led to the establishment of several marine protected areas (MPAs) along the coastline and in seascapes. These MPAs help manage the natural marine resources for biodiversity conservation and the well-being of people dependent on them by limiting anthropogenic activities and exploitation of resources in these areas.