A new age global threat to biodiversity and
Kerala's vulnerability
Kerala's vulnerability
Picture courtesy: cruiseandmarritime.com |
Today it is much easier for the macro as well as micro flora
and fauna of a particular place on this earth to invade other localities
regardless of any barrier of distance and time. This sort of invasion is called bioinvasion.
This new age invasion has become a matter of concern for entire world. Bioinvasion
can cause subtle to serious impacts on the biotas. Ultimately there will be serious reflections in qualities of the air, soil and the sea.
Ballast water
Bioinvasion effected through the ballast water carried by ships sailing between continents, is an example. Well, what is this ballast water? Though it is a kind of water, it contains heavy environmental issues. Now just tune your mind a little bit to be a ship engineer. In order to keep its balance, ships use to fill seawater in large containers within them. At times the seawater is drained out for the same purpose. Hence there is frequent filling of seawater from one place and draining away of the same at a distant place. So what? Well, such large quantities of water measuring about 2,00,000 m3 , is a haven of innumerous ocean organisms. Thus the ballast water contains heterogenous biota including micro to macro organisms, many of which will be endemic or parasitic in nature. Definitely it is not the fault of those innocent creatures to travel and get deported in a strange shore. All this happens because of man’s commercial needs.
Ballast water
Bioinvasion effected through the ballast water carried by ships sailing between continents, is an example. Well, what is this ballast water? Though it is a kind of water, it contains heavy environmental issues. Now just tune your mind a little bit to be a ship engineer. In order to keep its balance, ships use to fill seawater in large containers within them. At times the seawater is drained out for the same purpose. Hence there is frequent filling of seawater from one place and draining away of the same at a distant place. So what? Well, such large quantities of water measuring about 2,00,000 m3 , is a haven of innumerous ocean organisms. Thus the ballast water contains heterogenous biota including micro to macro organisms, many of which will be endemic or parasitic in nature. Definitely it is not the fault of those innocent creatures to travel and get deported in a strange shore. All this happens because of man’s commercial needs.
Picture courtesy: portvision.com |
Majority of them die for not being able to survive in the thoroughly
new aquatic environment. Thus ballast water contributes its share to the biodiversity
destruction. Instead, there will be certain flora and fauna which find the new
place so rejuvenating. As a result they flourish prolifically, leading to the
elimination of the native species. Ballast water turns a disaster when it
contains harmful elements, precarious pathogens for example.
India, Kerala and...
Don’t take this kind of a bioinvasion as something told only for people of faraway places. In fact, bioinvasion can have its effect anywhere in the world for seas connect continents and globalization has only multiplied ocean logistics and commerce. Even a landlocked country like Ethiopia or Switzerland cannot elude from cruise of bioinvasion for they also use nearby seaports for their imports and exports.
In recent times a number of alien species were identified along Kerala’s shores. These included varieties of seaweeds, bryozoans, mollusks and ascidian. Thecacera Pennigera is a mollusk which is endemic to shores of Atlantic, but today, a common organism for Indian shores. Studies have found enough evidence that the Atlantic mollusk was transported to Indian ocean by the ballast waters. Leave alone this petite mollusk, there are about ten thousand of organisms being distributed world over by way of ships.
Don’t take this kind of a bioinvasion as something told only for people of faraway places. In fact, bioinvasion can have its effect anywhere in the world for seas connect continents and globalization has only multiplied ocean logistics and commerce. Even a landlocked country like Ethiopia or Switzerland cannot elude from cruise of bioinvasion for they also use nearby seaports for their imports and exports.
In recent times a number of alien species were identified along Kerala’s shores. These included varieties of seaweeds, bryozoans, mollusks and ascidian. Thecacera Pennigera is a mollusk which is endemic to shores of Atlantic, but today, a common organism for Indian shores. Studies have found enough evidence that the Atlantic mollusk was transported to Indian ocean by the ballast waters. Leave alone this petite mollusk, there are about ten thousand of organisms being distributed world over by way of ships.
Thecacera Pennigera Picture courtesy: seaslugforum.net |
Kochi, Vizhinjam
Kerala has two major seaports including the ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’, Kochi; and Vizhinjam International Sea Port off the capital city. Nor far away from Vizhinjam, Kulachal in Tamil Nadu is also earmarked for a port construction. That means 3 major ports within some 300 kms, which will find the issue of ballast water posing severe challenge to our biodiversity conservation efforts.
Ballast water must not
hinder the emergence of seaports. Instead, while building ports, prudent
mechanism for handling ballast water must also get due place. Many developed nations have come forward with
futuristic legal and physical measures to manage the issue. Here, to plug the flow of environmental issues, Vizhinjam and Kochi
must set successful Indian models. Neglecting the truth
will lead to unbridled invasion by alien flora and fauna leading to the
extinction of major portion of the native biodiversity. Then the story of colonization will get a dramatic twist. Earlier if it was men who invaded and ruled, today the invaders and sufferers will be tens and thousands of aquatic organisms. To bridle the menace of bioinvasion, we may require proactive Mahatmas among planners, implementers and
scientists.
- Akhila S. Nair