CHAPTER 11 • Coastal Zone Management in India - Problems, Practice and Requirements
221
marine mammal Dugong dugong was found in abundance once, but became rare now.
The current problems in Gulf of Mannar include coastal pollution from domestic, industrial and aquaculture discharges, illegal mining of corals, indiscriminate picking
of budding seaweeds, use of dynamites to kill the fish and export oriented indiscriminate large scale fishing of rare marine living organisms such as Gorgonians, sea cucumbers, ornamental echinoderms and other molluscan forms (Ramachandran 1997).
11.5.2
Gulf of Kuchch (Gujarat)
Gulf of Kuchch is the largest coastal habitat in the east coast of India in the state of
Gujarat. In 1980, about 45 792 ha of the Gulf of Kuchch were declared as a Marine Sanctuary l;lI1d in 1982, an additional 16 289 ha were declared as a Marine National Park. The
Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary are situated along the southern shore of
the Gulf of Okha (22°30'N, 69°00'E) eastwards to the vicinity of Khijadia (22°30'N,
70°40 'E) This includes 42 islands and a complex of fringing reefs backed by mudflats
and sand flats, coastal salt marshes and mangrove forests, sand and rocky beaches
which represent a great diversity of fauna and flora. The gulf is the home for more
than 800 species of organisms, 32 hard (Scleractinia), 12 soft (Alcyonaria) corals,
150-200 species of fish, more than 100 species of algae, great diversity of sponges and
worms, brittle stars, marine turtles and other reptiles, over 200 species of migratory
and resident birds and the endangered marine mammal Dugong dugong. The Gulf of
Kuchch marine ecosystem is threatened tremendously by the various developmental
activities such as chemical industries, construction of new ports and harbours, oil transport, ship building and breaking activities etc. However, after establishment of the
national park, the coral reefs have expanded and afforestation programmes have increased the mangrove cover (Ramachandran 1997).
11.5.3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nic<;lbar islands comprise about 340 islands of volcanic origin situated on a submerged mountainous hill range arching from Arallal Yoma in Burma in
the north to Sumatra in the south between 6°-14°N lat. and 92°-94°E long., occupies
Table 11.4. Marine faunal
Name of group
N° of species
diversity at Andaman and
Endemic species
Nicobar islands
Sponges
70
2
Soelentrates
147
Corals
179
Polychaetes
161
Pycnogonids
8
Molluscs
790
Meiofauna
324
193
Fish
500
Reptiles
83
23
Mammals
3
221
marine mammal Dugong dugong was found in abundance once, but became rare now.
The current problems in Gulf of Mannar include coastal pollution from domestic, industrial and aquaculture discharges, illegal mining of corals, indiscriminate picking
of budding seaweeds, use of dynamites to kill the fish and export oriented indiscriminate large scale fishing of rare marine living organisms such as Gorgonians, sea cucumbers, ornamental echinoderms and other molluscan forms (Ramachandran 1997).
11.5.2
Gulf of Kuchch (Gujarat)
Gulf of Kuchch is the largest coastal habitat in the east coast of India in the state of
Gujarat. In 1980, about 45 792 ha of the Gulf of Kuchch were declared as a Marine Sanctuary l;lI1d in 1982, an additional 16 289 ha were declared as a Marine National Park. The
Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary are situated along the southern shore of
the Gulf of Okha (22°30'N, 69°00'E) eastwards to the vicinity of Khijadia (22°30'N,
70°40 'E) This includes 42 islands and a complex of fringing reefs backed by mudflats
and sand flats, coastal salt marshes and mangrove forests, sand and rocky beaches
which represent a great diversity of fauna and flora. The gulf is the home for more
than 800 species of organisms, 32 hard (Scleractinia), 12 soft (Alcyonaria) corals,
150-200 species of fish, more than 100 species of algae, great diversity of sponges and
worms, brittle stars, marine turtles and other reptiles, over 200 species of migratory
and resident birds and the endangered marine mammal Dugong dugong. The Gulf of
Kuchch marine ecosystem is threatened tremendously by the various developmental
activities such as chemical industries, construction of new ports and harbours, oil transport, ship building and breaking activities etc. However, after establishment of the
national park, the coral reefs have expanded and afforestation programmes have increased the mangrove cover (Ramachandran 1997).
11.5.3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nic<;lbar islands comprise about 340 islands of volcanic origin situated on a submerged mountainous hill range arching from Arallal Yoma in Burma in
the north to Sumatra in the south between 6°-14°N lat. and 92°-94°E long., occupies
Table 11.4. Marine faunal
Name of group
N° of species
diversity at Andaman and
Endemic species
Nicobar islands
Sponges
70
2
Soelentrates
147
Corals
179
Polychaetes
161
Pycnogonids
8
Molluscs
790
Meiofauna
324
193
Fish
500
Reptiles
83
23
Mammals
3