One week refresher training course for Indian Forest Officers on “Management of Coastal and Marine Biodiversity in India: Challenges and Prospects” was inaugurated at Andaman & Nicobar Islands  on 4^th February, 2019 by Mr. Tarun Coomar, Principal Secretary (E&F) and PCCF, and Mr D.M. Shukla, PCCF(WL) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This one week course is being organized from 4- 8^th February 2019 by Wildlife Institute of India in association with Department of Environment & Forest, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.  The course was attended by 29 IFS officers from 15 state cadres. An officer from the Indian Coast Guard is also participating in this programme. Inagural function was attended by various departments including the Zoological Survey of India.

The training was initiated with a comprehensive introduction to the coastal and marine biodiversity conservation in India by Dr. K. Sivakumar, Course Director. He has also elaborated upon the CAMPA funded- Species Recovery Programme. Dr. Alok Saxena presented a synopsis of the rich biodiversity of Andaman & Nicobar Islands with crucial insights about the impacts of tsunami in 2004. He also shared multiple images taken at the field to describe the threats to the marine biodiversity of the region and post-tsunami recovery of coral reefs and mangroves in the islands. The last session of the day was taken by Dr. Sivakumar on the 3^rd National Wildlife Action Plan. The participants interacted with the resource persons on various aspects on marine biodiversity management in India between the sessions on the first day. It is planned to visit the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (MGMNP), Wandoor, Jhansi Rani Marine National Park and Baratang mangrove forests on coming days.

In India, there are multiple governance frameworks and structures that administer the coastal and marine environment. While these are intended to have positive outcomes, overlapping jurisdictions, contradictory mandates and limited coordination hinders multiple agencies from working effectively in coastal India. Management agencies in India are still having limited understanding about management of multiple use coastal and marine areas. Given this scenario, the challenge lies in reconciling livelihood needs and development vis-a-vis conservation. Therefore, this course was conducted to address the following issues:

• How effective are administrative/ governance/ legal frameworks for conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity and are these frameworks promoting integration of biodiversity conservation and livelihood enhancement?
• What are the existing and potential threats for conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity?
• What are the current policy and governance challenges to coastal and marine biodiversity conservation? What is the role of community in the governance and management of marine protected areas and ecologically sensitive coastal areas?