Mangrove Sites in India: What are their characteristics?

A brief about Magraove Sites in India

The Mangrove ecosystem is one of the most important ecosystems in the world. They are rich in biodiversity and provide various ecological services.

What is Mangrove?

They are trees and bushes that grow in the coastal area in saline or brackish water. They occur in tropical and subtropical areas.

Characteristics of Mangroves-

• Mangroves are salt-tolerant and are also known as halophytes.

• They can adapt to low oxygen conditions.

• They are grown best in areas where there is a lot of silt or in backshore of sandy beaches.Tidal flats, deltas, estuaries, bays, creeks and the barriers islands are also ideal areas.

• They produce pneumatophores or air roots up from the mud. They can also produce roots that go downwards into the water.

• They are viviparous- the seeds germinate in the tree itself.

• Mangroves are great protection against floods as they act as shelterbelts.

• According to NASA,  they are “planet’s best carbon scrubbers”.

Read more: National Green Tribunal: When was it established & how does it work?

Mangrove Sites in India

According to the recent Indian State of Forest Report 2019, the current area under mangroves in India is 4,975 sq km, which is a slight increase from the previous year (an increase of 54 sq km). The three states that have shown the maximum increase are- Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha.

The mangrove sites of India are-

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