Legislation and policy options for conservation and management of seagrass ecosystems in India

Seagrass meadows are recognized as one of the most productive ecosystems in the coastal zone supporting a wide variety of keystone and ecologically important marine species from diverse trophic levels. This paper examines existing policies and legislations that can help in the protection, conservation and threats to seagrass ecosystems. The paper i) reviews the key legislations with provisions to conserve seagrass ecosystems in India such as the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification (2011) issued under the Environment (Protection), Act 1986, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, (1972), Biodiversity Act, 2002 and the Marine Fishing Regulation Acts of different coastal states in India; ii) identifies threats to the seagrass meadows and iii) suggests measures for enhancing conservation of seagrass.