Yes. I am talking about the tsunami, that has perhaps changed our vision of the sea beach forever. Blue waves breaking prettily on vast tracts of golden sands—a picture postcard scenario that suddenly turned into a ravaged disaster zone.

The five frontiers Inland areas: where oceans reach out to the mainlands via rivers; Coastal lands: wetlands, marshes and areas near the sea where people live and work; Coastal waters: estuaries, lagoons, and shallow waters; Offshore waters: sea upto 300 kilometres from the shore, that is under the con-trol of a nation; and High seas: deep into the ocean, beyond the limit of national control.

Enough to scare away the tourists…right? But the coasts are also the home of millions of people! Did you know that two out of every five persons across the world live along the coastline? And that the global coastal population will touch 11 million by 2008? Take the case of India. It has a 7,516 km-long coastline, outlining the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. Besides this, 4,198 islands dot the Andaman and Nicobar archipelagoes. More than 25 per cent of the Indian people (almost 5 million of them!) live here.

These people have lived here for generations, and will continue to stay. Braving the risk of future tsunamis. Because their lives are directly linked with the sea and its resources—mangroves, sea weeds, algae, coral reefs, and shells. And the wildly varied marine fauna— from fish and turtles to dolphins and sharks. They make a living out of all of these.

But then, the threat of typhoons, tsunamis, cyclones, hurricanes and storms has always haunted the sea coasts!

Why would anyone want to settle down in such a disaster-prone area, you may wonder…

Well, that is the story we have for you this time. About the fascinating balance that nature maintains along the coastline—of natural barriers to resist such gigantic natural phenomenon, like the tsunami. A tsunami or a cyclone (remember the devastat-ing cyclone that struck Orissa in 1999?) turns into a natural disaster only when greedy, interfering human beings destroy these bar-riers and completely upset this unique system. We will also tell you how coastal communities have lived in perfect harmony with marine biodiversity, in the past. And how it is still possible to live ‘safely and sustainably’ in the coasts. So read on.

The flavours of the ocean: rich, alive and colourful

Oceans of wealth
How rich is the Indian coastal zone? Let’s draw up a list of the five most productive marine ecologies of the world. India ranks among the first two or three! In fact, the Indo-Malayan belt, which spans our east coast, has been found to contain the world’s wealthiest marine biodiversity.

But first let us take stock of how marine environment has been managed till now, globally. It will help us to gauge the enormous bounty that is at stake here…

SEACOFACTS The sea is a treasure trove of marine wealth

Mangrove: Shrub, ground fern in muddy tropical tidal waters. Absorbs carbon, provides habitat & shelter against tidal waves Fisheries: 2200 fish species live in Indian waters. Sea grass: Saline, submerged marine plant. Provides feed for fish and mammals. Algae & marine flora: Primitive plants without stem, root, leaves. Have nutrients, vitamins, bioactive substances, and are renewable living resources. Coral: Shallow marine habitat for anemone, fish. Acts as carbon sink. Island vegetation: Littoral, swamp forests. Includes palms, coconut, mango, tamarind.