Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined other G20 leaders in planting mangroves at the Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai mangrove forest on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali on Wednesday.
The event is part of the Indonesian government’s efforts to showcase its work to preserve mangroves. The G20 leaders visited the forest before the final sessions on the second day of the summit that is focused on finding solutions to global challenges such as the climate crisis and energy transition.
Mangroves play a key role in global conservation efforts.
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India recently joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC), a joint initiative of Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
More than 50 mangrove species can be found spread across 5,000 sq km in India.
India is placing emphasis on the protection and restoration of mangroves, which are rich sites of biodiversity and serve as effective carbon sinks, the external affairs ministry said.
Mangroves are also an important refuge of coastal biodiversity and act as bio-shields against extreme climatic events.
{{/usCountry}}Mangroves are also an important refuge of coastal biodiversity and act as bio-shields against extreme climatic events.
{{/usCountry}}“India’s own mangrove cover is significant, with one of the highest biodiversity in the world. We recently agreed to join the Global Mangrove Alliance,” foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing ahead of Modi’s departure for the G20 Summit.
Indonesia will hand over the presidency of the G20 to India at the conclusion of the summit in Bali.
The climate crisis and finding solutions that help developing countries cope with climate change is set to be a key pillar of India’s G20 presidency, which will begin in December.