Mangroves

Mangroves Latest News

Recently, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Bombay High Court order allowing the removal of 45,675 mangrove trees for the proposed Versova-Bhayandar coastal road.

About Mangroves

• Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in coastal intertidal zones, primarily in tropical and subtropical regions.
• It thrives in saline or brackish waters, withstanding harsh environmental conditions such as tidal fluctuations, high salinity, and low oxygen levels in the soil.

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Mangroves Characteristics

• Salt Tolerance: They possess specialised root structures, such as salt-filtering roots and salt-excreting leaves, to manage high salinity levels.
• Aerial Roots (Pneumatophores): These roots help in respiration by obtaining oxygen from the air in waterlogged soils.
• Prop Roots: Provide stability against tidal waves and storm surges.
• Vivipary (Seed Germination): Seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree to overcome the challenge of germination in saline water.
• Efficient Carbon Sequestration: Mangroves are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems, playing a vital role in mitigating climate change..
• Mangrove forests act as a crucial buffer between land and sea, providing habitat for various marine and terrestrial species
• In India this ecosystem is found in Sundarbans (West Bengal), Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna Deltas (Odisha & Andhra Pradesh), Pichavaram Mangroves (Tamil Nadu), Bhitarkanika Mangroves (Odisha), Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat), Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep regions.

Source: IE