How much are the Pichavaram mangroves worth? ₹2,485 crore, say researchers.State forest authorities, with support from the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, evaluated the ecological services provided by the mangrove forests of Pichavaram in Cuddalore district, placing a monetary value on the ecosystem for the first time.“The findings put the total economic value of the Pichavaram mangroves at ₹1.83 crore per hectare (totalling ₹2,485.38 crore or US $289 million),” says M Balasubramanian, associate professor, Centre for Ecological Economics, and Natural Resources, at ISEC. “The high per-hectare value underscores the mangroves’ role in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, fisheries productivity, tourism, coastal protection and local livelihoods.”The study assessed the blue carbon potential of the mangrove ecosystem and identified policy options for sustainable conservation and climate resilience. “Researchers drew on primary and secondary data, surveying 302 households through stratified random sampling across mangrove-dependent villages such as MGR Thittu, Kalaignar Nagar, Chinnavaikal, Patriadi and Mudasalodai,” says Balasubramanian. The research team applied multiple valuation techniques, including the market price method and social cost of carbon approach, to capture market and non-market values of the ecosystem’s services.The blue carbon assessment found that mangrove vegetation stores an average of 79.449 tonnes of carbon per hectare, equivalent to about 291 tonnes of carbon-dioxide per hectare. Using the updated social cost of carbon of US $114 per tonne of carbon dioxide, researchers valued vegetation carbon storage at roughly ₹28 lakh per hectare, putting the total vegetation carbon asset at ₹387 crore.Mangrove sediments proved an even larger carbon reservoir, with average soil organic carbon stock of 251.14 tonnes per hectare, valued at ₹90.24 lakh per hectare and totalling ₹1,224.63 crore.Combining vegetation and soil carbon pools, the total blue carbon asset value of the Pichavaram ecosystem was estimated at ₹1,612 crore, or about ₹1.19 crore per hectare.“Most of the blue carbon is stored below ground in sediments, reinforcing the need to protect vegetation and soil systems,” says Balasubramanian, adding that the findings strengthen the case for integrating mangroves into climate finance mechanisms, blue carbon initiatives and natural capital accounting frameworks.
