How Mumbai’s Meswak trees are adapting to saline waters

A view of the mangroves in Navi Mumbai. PICS COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Your health conscious colleague isn't the only one tracking their salt intake this year. Meswak aka the toothbrush tree that thrives in saline waters of Mumbai's mangroves, is navigating a ‘high blood pressure' problem because of the salts, Dr V Shubhalaxmi humours us. Salt tolerance plays a huge role in how mangroves are distributed in the city, she explains.

Dr V Shubhalaxmi

Turns out, Mumbaikars know far too little about their favourite green buzzword ‘mangroves', and what goes on in the marshy waters. On the International Day for Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystem, Shubhalaxmi's iNaturewatch Foundation will lead a Bioblitz aka a quick trail to document mangrove species to create a global map of the fragile ecosystems.

ON July 26; 9 am to 11 am
AT Flamingo Bird Watch trail, Nerul.
LOG ON TO inaturewatch.org
ENTRY Rs 350

Know Mumbai's mangroves

>> Ring-legged Fiddler Crab (Austruca annulipes)
Small crabs with males having one large, coloured claw.

>> Milky Mangrove (Excoecaria agallocha)
Found in the land end of mangrove forests. Milky sap from the leaves can cause temporary blindness.

>> White Burma (Bruguiera cylindrica)
Shade-tolerant mangrove plant species spotted in mid-intertidal regions.

>> Telescope Snail (Telescopium telescopium)
Herbivorous snails found on muddy banks, identified by its conical shell.

How does a Bioblitz work?

1 Volunteers, both beginners and experts, will report to the meeting point.
2 Photographs of the diverse mangrove species and any birds/insects will be captured using phone cameras.
3 Biologist Dr Shreya Bhanap will help them identify the species.
4 The recorded species will be reported to the iNaturalist portal.
5 The data will help long-term studies of the changing mangrove ecosystems.

Wake-up call

The week coincides with the shutdown of one of the city's leading mangrove waste recyclers, 5Rcycle. The founders cited Mumbaikar's casual attitude towards waste management as one of the major reasons.

Plastic belongs in recycling bags, not your dustbin, Shubhalaxmi reminds us. Reach out to these services to recycle your plastic.
>> spasrecycling.com
>> recircle.in
>> sampurnearth.com