Name: Sagar Suri

Country: India

State: Gujarat

Site: Coastline of Gujarat

What is your personal relation to the natural coastal or marine site you represent?

Coming from Uttar Pradesh, I understand the real value of a coastline, because we don’t really get to see one there, though we do have the river Gomti in Lucknow, my hometown still its not as vast as the western coastline, also the kind of marine biodiversity here is something to be proud of, though the situation currently is alarming and the worst thing it doesn’t seem to be getting better and that is a cause of great concern for me.

What are the specific problems and threats of your natural coastal or marine site?

The biggest causes of concern are the Industrial wastes and effluents from sugar factories and distilleries, also domestic waste water and sewage from habitations, this does not only contaminate the water and make it undrinkable but also along with the rains becomes a major reason for the constant flooding in the region, which leads to a lot of problems when it recedes, specially due to drying potholes and pits which leads to diseases like Malaria and Dengue.

Why do you think is it important to safeguard your natural coastal or marine site?

The reasons for safeguarding it are directly related to the roles it plays in making our lives much better, not only is it a rich marine ecosystem with great diversity, it also helps in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and also acts as a sink for the by-products of industrial and agricultural production and not to forget the recreational and aesthetic benefits it provides. Marine and natural coastal resources, such as this are, for the most part, renewable and if managed properly they should provide continuing returns into the future without diminishing their productivity and hence should be properly safeguarded.