The role of lichens in biomonitoring of pollution, climate change and sea level rise in tropics: Insights from India and beyond

s Tropical coastal ecosystems are facing rapid environmental change resulting from global climate switch, sea level rise, change in weather and anthropogenic pressures. In this context, reliable ecological indicators are critical for assessing ecosystem response and susceptibility. Lichens with their extreme sensitivity to microclimatic-macroclimatic variation and atmospheric stress have been used as bioindicators in terrestrial ecosystems for a long time. Their ability as coastal climate change indicators, especially in tropical areas, remains insufficiently explored. This paper examines the present knowledge on coastal diversity of lichens in relation to changing precipitation patterns, increasing sea levels and salinity changes. Based on international case studies and literature inventories along Indian coastal areas, it emphasizes how particular lichen species react to climate induced coastal change and address issues using lichens to monitoring climate and sea level in data- scarce tropical areas. The findings highlight the need to incorporate lichen monitoring in coastal vulnerability assessment and restoration strategies immediately.