Goa, June 12 -- Once the backbone of Goa's agricultural economy, the khazan lands-ancient, community-managed coastal wetlands-are under assault. The threat isn't only natural or accidental. Illegal fish farming operators are now deliberately breaching protective bunds to flood fields with saltwater, destroying crops and rendering large tracts of farmland useless in the process. The ecological damage is compounded by the collapse of traditional maintenance systems, and the government has responded with its most ambitious intervention yet.

The newly released Khazan Land Management Plan (KLMP) lays bare the scale of the crisis: over 13,000 hectares of khazan lands are affected, with illegal activity accelerating degradation. The plan warns ...