WORLD ATLAS OF CORAL REEFS
shells for mother-of-pearl. About 1 000 marine turtles are
taken annually and dugongs are also hunted. The 1998 coral
bleaching event appears to have severely impacted the reefs
in the Gulf of Mannar, with 60-80 percent mortality.
A large proportion of the reefs in both the Gulf of
Kutch and the Gulf of Mannar now fall within legally
gazetted protected areas, but these suffer from both weak
management and virtually no monitoring. There are concerns that the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park will be
rescinded to allow for industrial development.
The Lakshadweep Islands (Laccadives) are located
about 300 kilometers west of the southernmost tip of
India. They are true atolls and related reef structures, built
up over a volcanic base, marking the northernmost and
oldest trace of the Reunion hot spot which went on to form
the entire Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. There are 12 coral
atolls with about 36 islands (with a total land area
of 32 square kilometers), about a third of which are
inhabited, and also four major submerged reefs and five
major submerged banks. Typically the atolls have shallow
lagoons, averaging a depth of 3-5 meters, with islands
mostly occurring on the eastern rims. The outer slopes of
the atolls descend steeply and have prolific coral growth.
The local population on these islands numbers some
51 000, and fishing is an important activity, although
largely focussed on offshore (non-reef) stocks. There has
been sand mining in some lagoons which is likely to
have impacted areas of reef. Tourism is a small but
India
Pakistan
Bangladeshi
General Data
Population Ithousandsl
1 0U004
Ul 55A
129 19-1
GDP (million US$1
^18 720
62 915
31 838
Land area (km'l
3 089 857
877 66/i
138/i70
Marine area (thousand km^l
2 297
233
80
Per capita fish consumption
(kg/yearl
5
2
10
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%|
61
na
100
Recorded coral diseases
3
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^l
5 790
<50
<50
Coral diversity
208 / 345
na / na
na / na
Mangrove area (km^l
6 700
1 683
5 767
No. of mangrove species
28
A
21
No. of seagrass species
15
na
na
Left; A shallow scene of branching Acropora. Right: Dense mangrove forests dominate the Sundarbans in the northern
Bay of Bengal.
shells for mother-of-pearl. About 1 000 marine turtles are
taken annually and dugongs are also hunted. The 1998 coral
bleaching event appears to have severely impacted the reefs
in the Gulf of Mannar, with 60-80 percent mortality.
A large proportion of the reefs in both the Gulf of
Kutch and the Gulf of Mannar now fall within legally
gazetted protected areas, but these suffer from both weak
management and virtually no monitoring. There are concerns that the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park will be
rescinded to allow for industrial development.
The Lakshadweep Islands (Laccadives) are located
about 300 kilometers west of the southernmost tip of
India. They are true atolls and related reef structures, built
up over a volcanic base, marking the northernmost and
oldest trace of the Reunion hot spot which went on to form
the entire Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. There are 12 coral
atolls with about 36 islands (with a total land area
of 32 square kilometers), about a third of which are
inhabited, and also four major submerged reefs and five
major submerged banks. Typically the atolls have shallow
lagoons, averaging a depth of 3-5 meters, with islands
mostly occurring on the eastern rims. The outer slopes of
the atolls descend steeply and have prolific coral growth.
The local population on these islands numbers some
51 000, and fishing is an important activity, although
largely focussed on offshore (non-reef) stocks. There has
been sand mining in some lagoons which is likely to
have impacted areas of reef. Tourism is a small but
India
Pakistan
Bangladeshi
General Data
Population Ithousandsl
1 0U004
Ul 55A
129 19-1
GDP (million US$1
^18 720
62 915
31 838
Land area (km'l
3 089 857
877 66/i
138/i70
Marine area (thousand km^l
2 297
233
80
Per capita fish consumption
(kg/yearl
5
2
10
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%|
61
na
100
Recorded coral diseases
3
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^l
5 790
<50
<50
Coral diversity
208 / 345
na / na
na / na
Mangrove area (km^l
6 700
1 683
5 767
No. of mangrove species
28
A
21
No. of seagrass species
15
na
na
Left; A shallow scene of branching Acropora. Right: Dense mangrove forests dominate the Sundarbans in the northern
Bay of Bengal.