Beach litter are man-made objects discarded directly or indirectly. This study brings out synoptic picture of status and composition of beach were found in Kerala (17), Maharashtra (12), Tamil Nadu (2), Andhra Pradesh (4), Odisha (7) and West Bengal (3). Whereas extremely littered beaches (>100 g/m 2 ) were found in Karnataka (13), Goa, Gujarat, and Andaman Island. With reference to the coastal population and per capita share of beach debris, Goa registered highest values (40.97 kg/head) and the Odisha coast registered the lowest values (0.005 kg/head).

Green turtles and turtle grass are interdependent in the atoll ecosystems of Lakshadweep as green turtles are herbivores and the latter are being consumed by the turtles. Since the herbivore is being protected by legislation, their herbivory on turtle grass is uncontrolled and had resulted in near total wiping of seagrass meadows. This case study was made from Agatti atoll in detail and the status of seagrass meadows in three neighboring atolls. The present communication stresses the need for the earliest restoration and to conserve the seagrass meadows from being destroyed by the increasing population of green turtles which is essential for the very existence of turtles itself in Lakshadweep Sea.

Blue carbon stock of the seagrass meadows of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, off Coromandel Coast, south India, were computed from the organic carbon content and dry bulk densities of sediment core taken from the seagrass meadows of these two ecosystems. The Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and Palk Bay (PB) harbour 13 seagrass species dominated by Cymodocea serrulata and Syringodium isoetifolium. The soil carbon density of both GoM and PB were higher in subsurface cores. The blue carbon stock of seagrass meadows of the GoM was estimated as 0.001782 Tg and that of PB as 0.043996 Tg. The estimated value of blue carbon stored in seagrass meadows of GoM was 17820 US$ and that of PB was 43,99,682 US$. The results of this study are discussed in the light of climate change mitigation, emphasising the need to conserve these underwater meadows.

The mangrove ecosystems render many goods and services ranging from coastal protection to climate regulation. These ecosystems are also reservoirs of carbon stocks, due to their ability to sequester and store carbon in their biomass and the underlying sediment, and therefore significant in view of the climate change mitigation. The present study attempted to assess the biomass and carbon stock of mangroves of Thalassery estuarine wetland of Kerala, south-west coast of India. We assessed the carbon stocks of three carbon pools viz., above-ground, below-ground (root) and sediment. A total of eight species of mangroves were recorded from the Thalassery estuarine wetland, and of these, Avicennia officinalis was the dominant species with an average tree density of 729.37 individuals ha -1 and contributed most (45.05±23.79 t ha -1 ) to the total carbon. The overall mean above-ground biomass was 189.26±97.80 t ha -1 , while the overall mean root biomass was 83.06±40.48 t ha -1 . The estimated mean above-ground carbon was 94.63±48.90 t C ha -1 , while the mean carbon stock in root and sediment were 41.53±20.24 t C ha -1 and 17.48±7.30 t C ha -1 , respectively. In the present study, the estimates of mean combined C-stocks in mangrove and sediment showed that the mangroves of Thalassery estuarine wetland stored 153.64 t C ha -1 which was equivalent to 563.86 t CO2 ha -1 . The mangroves of Thalassery wetland cover an area of approximately 5.8 ha and thus it can be assumed that this wetland has the potential to sequester and store 891.11 t C, equivalent to an estimated amount of 3270.37 t CO2. The study reinforces the importance of mangrove forests as useful carbon sinks and the need for protection of these critical habitats in the light of climate change mitigation.

Seagrass meadows worldwide are declining fast, taking with them many species which depend on these underwater prairies as their habitat and feeding as well as breeding grounds. Our results obtained on the biomass and density of seagrass vegetation in the reef and lagoons of Agatti, Chetlat, Kavaratti and Kiltan Islands of U.T. Lakshadweep, indicated gradual but steady shrinking of seagrass meadows. The percentage reduction in density of seagrass meadows since December 2011 to November 2015 was estimated at 88.5% in Agatti, 88.7% in Chetlat, 78.4% in Kavaratti and 81.3% in Kiltan. Wet biomass of parts below the sediment were always higher than the epigeal parts comprising leaves, stem and bracts. The possible reason behind this decline in seagrass biomass might be grazing, deterioration of water quality due to increased anthropogenic activities and climate change. This situation calls for urgent steps to monitor the ecology and physico-chemical parameters of water and sediment in the existing meadows and to undertake immediate habitat restoration programmes.