Effect of Climate Induced Changes in the Ecosystem Services of Chilika Lake Wetlands of Odisha from the Perspective of Agriculture and Fisheries

Aims: The aim of the study is to find out the effect of climate induced changes in the ecosystem services of Chilika Lake of Odisha.

Study Design: The study has been conducted in Chilika Lake, including the peripheral districts Khurda, Puri and Ganjam. Secondary data have been used for rice yield, fish production and for various weather parameters.

Methodology: The statistical analysis like Mann-kendall’s test is used for trend analysis, Fixed panel data regression to find out the influence of climatic parameters on yield of paddy and multivariate multiple regression to study the effect of climate change on fish production has been used.

Results: The fixed effect model was found relevant during panel data regression. The weather parameters annual mean rainfall and soil profile moisture were found positively significant at one per cent level of significance in influencing the yield of paddy. Whereas annual mean temperature, squared rainfall and root zone wetness were found negatively significant. Both the temperature and root zone wetness were significant at one and five percent level of significance respectively. Squared rainfall term is found negatively significant at the five percent level of significance which shows a quadratic relationship between rainfall and yield. The estimates of fish production, shrimp and crab production in the Chilika lake revealed that the water salinity and water temperature were found significant at five and ten percent level of significance respectively in the case of fish production. The water salinity founded negatively influences fish production. There were no parameters were found significant in the shrimp production in the lake for the period of 2000 to 2015. The variables water pH and dissolved oxygen were found positively significant at ten and five percent in influencing the Crab production of the lake. The parameter water transparency was found insignificant for all three independent variables viz. fish, shrimp and crab production.

Conclusion: It is found that annual mean rainfall and soil profile moisture have a significant positive influence of paddy whereas temperature and root zone wetness have a significant negative influence on paddy yield. Only water salinity was found negatively significant for fish production. The parameters, water pH and dissolved oxygen were found to have a positive influence on Crab production in Chilika lake.