Identification and evaluation of ecosystem services provided by clam (Villorita cyprinoides) fisheries in wetland

Black clam (Villorita cyprinoides), constitute a major molluscan based subsistence level fishery in Vembanadlake providing a variety of ecosystem services to the dependent populations of the ecosystem. The non-realization of the values of the services provided by clams coupled with the anthropogenic activities like dredging aggravated the non-sustainable harvest of the resource. The paper attempts to evaluate the provisioning and cultural services provided by clams in-order to highlight the importance of the management of this ecosystem service provider and various tradeoffs between anthropogenic activities and clam resource utilizations

Evaluation of Ecosystem services of Villorita cyprinoides in Vembanad

Vembanad Lake, a wetland of international importance, famous for waterfowl habitat was designated a Ramsar site, for conservation and sustainable utilisation of the ecosystem. Millennium ecosystem assessment (2005) emphasises that the various services provided by the ecosystem benefitting human population needs to be identified and evaluated for judicious utilisation of the resources. Villorita cyprinoides is a major species contributing to the molluscan fishery of Vembanad lake. The study involving Villorita sp. was taken up with the objectives of development of a conceptual framework encompassing the different ecosystem services provided by the clam resources, estimation of the values of selected ecosystem services using appropriate proxies and analysis of the trade-offs between anthropogenic activities like dredging vis-a-vis clam resources utilizations following the principles of MEA (2005). The study identified that the clam fisheries in the lake is most acknowledged for its provisioning ecosystem services. Apart from the regulating services such as water quality maintenance and carbon sequestration, the cultural and the linking services provided by clam fisheries to human are also identified. In spite of the identification of the various services, the non-realisation of the value of the services provided by clam fisheries has prompted the destruction of the resource knowingly or unknowingly by our activities. One of the anthropogenic activities affecting the clam fisheries is the dredging of sub fossil deposits of clamshell or white clams which are good sources of calcium carbonate for cement manufacturers. Identifying the lacunae of non-realisation of the services of clam resources, the paper has judiciously attempted not only to evaluate the services of the ecosystem service provider but also to externalize the internalities in the ecosystem services evaluation process by considering the various social costs and benefits associated with the resource

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काली सीपी (विलोरिता साईप्रीनोएड) का मात्स्यिकी में योगदान एक मूल्यांकन

भाकृअनुप-केंद्रीय मात्स्यिकी प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान, कोचिन द्वारा ‘भारत की अर्थव्‍यवस्‍था में मात्स्यिकी के योगदान’ विषय पर हिंदी में आयोजित राष्ट्रीय वैज्ञानिक संगोष्ठी संपन्न हुआ। डॉ. रविशंकर सी. एन., निदेशक ने अपने अध्‍यक्षीय संबोधन में संस्‍थान और राजभाषा कार्यान्‍वयन की उपलब्धियों पर प्रकाश डाला। इस अवसर पर निदेशक ने सहाभगियों को शुभकामनाओं के साथ-साथ प्रमाण पत्र भी वितरित किया। डॉ. टी. के. श्रीनिवास गोपाल, पूर्व निदेशक, भाकृअनुप-केमाप्रौसं, कोचिन ने बतौर मुख्य अतिथि अर्थव्‍यवस्‍था और रोजगार प्रजनन में मात्स्यिकी के योगदान की भूमिका को प्रस्‍तुत किया। साथ ही, हिंदी भाषा में राष्ट्रीय वैज्ञानिक संगोष्ठी के आयोजन के लिए संस्‍थान के निदेशक एवं उप निदेशक (राजभाषा) को बधाई दी। इस अवसर पर प्रकाशित सारांश पुस्तिका का विमोचन मुख्‍य अतिथि द्वारा किया गया। डॉ. जे. रेणुका, उप निदेशक (राजभाषा) ने स्वागत संबोधन में कहा कि वैज्ञानिक उपलब्धियों को लक्ष्‍य समूह तक पहुँचाने में भाषाओं का अत्‍यधिक महत्त्व होता है। इस संगोष्‍ठी का उद्देश्य वैज्ञानिक विषयों को हिंदी में प्रस्‍तुत करना था