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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Mitra, Mangrove Forests in India,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20595-9_10
Chapter 10
Mangroves: A Natural Ecosystem
of Cultural and Religious Convergence
Abstract Determining the cultural values of mangroves is important; for the local
community and primary stakeholders these values represent an important facet of
their lives, livelihood, and cultural identity. Recognition of these benefits and their
inclusion in data collection is important for generating community investment in
conservation actions and identifying the true cost of the decisions being made. In
many mangrove belts the trees are worshipped as sacred groves. In some areas,
Gods/Goddesses are worshipped as protector of the ecosystem. However, no valuation has yet been carried out on the cultural services offered by this unique vegetation at the land-sea interface, which has been brain stormed in this chapter through
stake holder’s analysis.
Keywords Cultural values of mangroves · Sacred groves · Gods/Goddesses ·
Protector of the ecosystem · Stake holder’s analysis
A large number of literatures are available on mangrove ecosystem services (Mitra,
2013; Camacho-Valdez et al., 2014; Amarnath and Mouna, 2016; Atkinson et al.,
2016; Jerath et al., 2016; Mashayekhi et al., 2016; Mojiol et al., 2016; Sopheak and
Hoeurn, 2016; Susilo et al., 2016). However, several services of this unique vegetation are still under lock and key due to ignorance of this ecosystem to many people.
The science still contains many gaps, and there are very few “proof of concept”
on-the-ground examples around the world. The international community/forum still
does not fully recognize the value of the mangrove ecosystem.
One of the gaps in unlocking the full value of ecosystems to humanity is in understanding the “Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)” they provide. Even the definition
of CES is ambiguous and therefore interpreted differently by different research
groups (Daniel et al., 2012). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) defined
CES as “the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual
enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.” Despite the examples of CES the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
provides, this definition remains vague, primarily because these services have an
emotional, rather than market value. An exception is “recreation and ecotourism,” a
benefit that is relatively straightforward to quantify monetarily (Garcia Rodrigues
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Mitra, Mangrove Forests in India,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20595-9_10
Chapter 10
Mangroves: A Natural Ecosystem
of Cultural and Religious Convergence
Abstract Determining the cultural values of mangroves is important; for the local
community and primary stakeholders these values represent an important facet of
their lives, livelihood, and cultural identity. Recognition of these benefits and their
inclusion in data collection is important for generating community investment in
conservation actions and identifying the true cost of the decisions being made. In
many mangrove belts the trees are worshipped as sacred groves. In some areas,
Gods/Goddesses are worshipped as protector of the ecosystem. However, no valuation has yet been carried out on the cultural services offered by this unique vegetation at the land-sea interface, which has been brain stormed in this chapter through
stake holder’s analysis.
Keywords Cultural values of mangroves · Sacred groves · Gods/Goddesses ·
Protector of the ecosystem · Stake holder’s analysis
A large number of literatures are available on mangrove ecosystem services (Mitra,
2013; Camacho-Valdez et al., 2014; Amarnath and Mouna, 2016; Atkinson et al.,
2016; Jerath et al., 2016; Mashayekhi et al., 2016; Mojiol et al., 2016; Sopheak and
Hoeurn, 2016; Susilo et al., 2016). However, several services of this unique vegetation are still under lock and key due to ignorance of this ecosystem to many people.
The science still contains many gaps, and there are very few “proof of concept”
on-the-ground examples around the world. The international community/forum still
does not fully recognize the value of the mangrove ecosystem.
One of the gaps in unlocking the full value of ecosystems to humanity is in understanding the “Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)” they provide. Even the definition
of CES is ambiguous and therefore interpreted differently by different research
groups (Daniel et al., 2012). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) defined
CES as “the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual
enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.” Despite the examples of CES the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
provides, this definition remains vague, primarily because these services have an
emotional, rather than market value. An exception is “recreation and ecotourism,” a
benefit that is relatively straightforward to quantify monetarily (Garcia Rodrigues