Mangroves in India: A Geographical Perspective

Abstract

Mangroves are special woody plants and shrub that inhabit the upper intertidal zones of saltwater. This type of plant found different parts of the world. India has also some patches of mangroves. Peoples are generally believed that mangroves are only found in Sundarban. But this is not right. This paper is aimed to break this misconception. The objectives of this paper are to find out the distribution of mangroves, statistical analysis of mangroves at present, to assess the trend of mangrove forest and to find out the species diversity in mangroves in India. Integrative literature review has been done for this study. Descriptive research method and statistical techniques such as time series analysis has been applied as research methods. The major findings are there are 12 states and union territories which are belong to mangroves. Maximum and minimum mangrove density is found in West Bengal and Daman Due respectively. Maximum species diversity is seen in West Bengal and Odisha. This study revealed that trend of mangrove forests is really growing. This result showing the sustainable character of mangroves that will brings a better environmental future for future generation.