Ecological Characteristics and Distribution
Mangroves are salt-tolerant forest ecosystems found in tropical and subtropical intertidal zones, especially along estuaries, deltas, tidal creeks, lagoons and sheltered coastlines.
They are adapted to waterlogged, saline and oxygen-poor soils through specialised features such as:
- pneumatophores for gaseous exchange;
- stilt/prop roots for stability;
- salt-excreting or salt-excluding mechanisms;
- vivipary, where seeds germinate while still attached to the parent plant.
Major global mangrove regions occur in South and Southeast Asia, northern Australia, eastern and western Africa, the Caribbean and tropical America.
In India, mangroves are concentrated in:
- Sundarbans in West Bengal;
- Bhitarkanika in Odisha;
- Godavari–Krishna deltas in Andhra Pradesh;
- Pichavaram and Muthupet in Tamil Nadu;
- Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat;
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Ecological and Economic Significance
Mangroves are among the most productive coastal ecosystems and perform multiple functions:
- protect coastlines from cyclones, storm surges and erosion;
- act as nursery and breeding grounds for fish, prawns, crabs and molluscs;
- support birds, reptiles and other estuarine biodiversity;
- trap sediments and stabilise shorelines;
- filter pollutants and nutrients entering coastal waters;
- support fisheries, honey collection and other local livelihoods.
They are also important blue-carbon ecosystems because they store large quantities of carbon in both vegetation and waterlogged soils, where decomposition is slow.
Their disaster-mitigation role is especially important along densely populated tropical coasts because mangrove belts can reduce wave energy and limit the inland penetration of storm surges.
Threats and Conservation in India
Mangrove ecosystems face pressure from:
- conversion for aquaculture and agriculture;
- ports, roads and coastal infrastructure;
- pollution and solid waste;
- alteration of freshwater and sediment flows;
- over-extraction of biomass;
- sea-level rise and increasing salinity;
- cyclones and coastal erosion.
India protects mangroves through a combination of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Coastal Regulation Zone framework, forest and wildlife laws, wetland conservation programmes and site-specific restoration initiatives.
The MISHTI initiative — Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes, announced in 2023, seeks to promote mangrove plantation and restoration along suitable coastlines and salt-pan areas through convergence of existing programmes.
Mangroves therefore sit at the intersection of biodiversity conservation, coastal protection, blue-carbon storage, fisheries security and climate adaptation, making them critical natural infrastructure for India’s coastal regions.
