Pichavaram Mangroves Valued at Rs 2,485.38 Crore: Ecosystem Services, Blue Carbon and the Case for Natural Infrastructure Category GS Date Data rule Environment, Geography and Disaster GS Paper I, GS Paper III 4 September 2026 30+ numerical facts Management
WHY IN NEWS
- A recent economic-valuation study of Tamil Nadu's Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem estimated its Total Economic Value at about Rs 2,485.38 crore, or roughly Rs 1.83 crore per hectare, bringing ecosystem services into the language of public investment.
- The assessment includes fisheries, coastal protection, nutrient cycling, oxygen regulation, tourism, biodiversity and large blue-carbon stocks in vegetation and soil.
- The study is significant because conventional project appraisal often values land conversion but assigns little or no monetary value to intact natural protection and carbon storage.
- For UPSC, connect Pichavaram with mangrove geography, Ramsar wetlands, blue carbon, ecosystem-service valuation, cyclone resilience, coastal livelihoods and Green GDP.
TOP DATA & FACTS FOR UPSC
- Total Economic Value estimated: Rs 2,485.38 crore.
- Approximate dollar value cited: US$289 million.
- Per-hectare value: about Rs 1.83 crore.
- Coastal protection service estimated: about Rs 147.17 crore.
- Nutrient cycling: about Rs 10.53 crore.
- Oxygen regulation: about Rs 181.22 crore.
- Annual carbon-sequestration flow: about Rs 26.86 crore.
- Biodiversity conservation: about Rs 19.48 crore.
- Recreation and tourism: about Rs 484.25 crore.
- Vegetation carbon-stock value: about Rs 387.77 crore.