Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
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#1
The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 recorded India's total mangrove cover at 4,992 sq km, marking an increase of 17 sq km over the 2019 biennial assessment.
#2
West Bengal holds the highest mangrove cover in India at 2,114 sq km (42.45%), followed by Gujarat with 1,175 sq km and Andaman & Nicobar with 616 sq km.
#3
The Sundarbans delta is formed by the super-confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna river systems discharging into the northern Bay of Bengal.
#4
Indian Sundarbans encompasses 4,260 sq km of mangrove forest area, housing 102 islands out of which 54 are inhabited by human settlements.
#5
Sundarbans National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and inscribed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in January 2019.
#6
Pneumatophores are specialized erect, negatively geotropic lateral roots produced by species like Avicennia and Sonneratia to facilitate respiration in anaerobic mud.
#7
Vivipary, the germination of seeds while still attached to the maternal plant, is an adaptive strategy observed prominently in Rhizophoraceae mangroves.
#8
The dominant tree species Heritiera fomes, locally called Sundari, gave the Sundarbans its name and belongs to the Malvaceae (formerly Sterculiaceae) family.
#9
The Indian Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is the only mangrove habitat in the world supporting an apex tiger population (Panthera tigris tigris) adapted to swimming.
#10
Bhitarkanika mangrove wetland in Odisha, fed by the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers, constitutes India's second largest mangrove ecosystem and became a Ramsar site in 2002.
#11
Pichavaram mangrove forest in Tamil Nadu, situated between the Vellar and Coleroon estuaries, is one of the world's largest mangrove systems and a designated Ramsar site.
#12
Under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2019, mangroves are classified under CRZ-I A (Ecologically Sensitive Areas), barring destructive developmental activities.
#13
Union Budget 2023-24 introduced the MISHTI scheme (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes) for intensive coastal afforestation via CAMPA and MGNREGS.
#14
Mangroves function as blue carbon sinks, sequestering up to four times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial tropical rainforests primarily in subterranean sediment pools.
#15
Ultrafiltration at the root membrane level in Rhizophora species allows selective absorption of freshwater while excluding over 90% of dissolved sodium chloride ions.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
Mangroves are salt-tolerant plant communities thriving along coastal intertidal zones and river deltas. To survive in waterlogged, saline, and oxygen-deficient mud, they evolved unique biological adaptations. These include pencil-like breathing roots called pneumatophores that grow upward above tidal waters to absorb oxygen, and viviparous seeds that germinate while still attached to the parent tree. India hosts vital mangrove tracts, led by the Sundarbans delta formed by the Ganga-Brahmaputra confluence, alongside Odisha's Bhitarkanika and Tamil Nadu's Pichavaram.
Environment and geography questions in UPSC and State PSC exams frequently test mangrove adaptations, state rankings, and government conservation initiatives. A recurring prelims trap mixes up state-wise forest cover; according to the India State of Forest Report, West Bengal holds the highest mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Also, remember recent policy initiatives like the MISHTI scheme launched in 2023 for coastal afforestation. In descriptive answers, highlight their exceptional capacity as blue carbon sinks.
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