While similar injury to Goa’s coral reefs near Grande island due to scuba diving and snorkeling is yet to be assessed, the study conducted by National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) scientists, led by Baban Ingole, has recorded increasing degradation in the Malvan marine sanctuary.
Backed by Maharashtra’s science and technology commission, Ingole’s team studied the four sites where tourists are taken during the October-May annual season, between 2016 and 2019.
PhD research scholars Kalyan De, Sambhaji Mote and Mandar Nanak, a NIO scientist comprised Ingole’s team, and the study is still in progress.
In Malvan, tourists hardly show any concern for the beautiful ecosystem.“Using public video content in a novel way, we analysed the videos posted by scuba divers on a videolog site, and realised that in 98.41% of the clips, the divers had body contact and fin contact with corals,” Ingole said.
The media-crazy tourists were seen clicking photos, touching, sitting on and even walking on the coral colonies to balance themselves underwater.
With four patch reef sites, including two high-density sites near Sindhudurg island, Malvan’s marine protected area (MPA) sprawls over a 29.122 sqkm swathe.
“The ecologically sensitive habitat is being incrementally damaged due to tourism and other human activities, and the rich biodiversity, including fisheries, is at stake. Though the forest department and state biodiversity board are trying hard to conserve it, lack of scientific data on carrying capacity makes it difficult to implement good management practices,” said Ingole, retired chief scientist, biological oceanography, NIO- Goa.
But the various factors and economic compulsions pushing fishermen to turn to tourism in Malvan seem to override everything. Tourist footfalls in Sindhudurg district are projected at 6,41,427 for 2021-22 .
Despite degradation of coral habitats caused by tourism, managers, as in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, have put in place sustainable practices. Ingole said regulation and sensitisation of stakeholders is important. “Or else, the integrity of the coral habitat may be in grave danger.”