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Mangroves in India : Important Points For Geography UPSC

Last Updated on May 21, 2025
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A Mangrove is a tiny tree or shrub, which thrives in saline sediments, frequently underwater, along the shorelines. The word “Mangrove” is a mixture of the Portuguese words “Mangue” and “grove” in English word. Experience has shown that mangrove coastal ecosystems preserve lives and property during natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms, and erosion. The economic significance of these ecosystems is also widely known.

The environment offers a very significant, undetected potential for medicinally helpful natural goods and salt production, beekeeping, fuel, forage, etc.

In this article, we will understand the Features and Significance of the Mangrove Forest in India. Examine major aspects of the Mangroves Ecosystem from the perspective of UPSC Exams.

Learn Natural Vegetation in India in detail here!

Mangroves In India
  • Mangroves are a group in the coastal areas of the globe of plants and shrubs. These trees with sluggish running water flourish in low-oxygen soils.
  • India is also endowed with incredible mangrove forests that benefit nature, the most notable being Sundarbans.
  • Mangroves are tropical and subtropical intertidal plants of the world that are salt-tolerant. These plants exist in certain locations as ‘mangrove ecosystems.’ These are very prolific but highly sensitive and vulnerable.
  • In addition to mangroves, other plant and animal species can also be found in the environment.
  • The mangroves belong to the Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae, Lythraceae, Combretaceae, and Arecaceae families, which are flowering trees.
  • For many estuarine and marine creatures, they are breeding, feeding, and nursing sites. These regions are therefore utilized for fishing in captivity and culture.

Geographical Location of Mangroves

  • In marshy regions between the beach and the sea, mangrove species are known as intertidal areas.
  • Every day these regions are inundated by the sea. Mangrove forests with a high concentration of salt develop along the seaside.
  • Mangroves are found in tropical or subtropical latitudes exclusively along protected coasts, as they cannot resist cold conditions.
  • They share the remarkable capacity to grow on saline soil within reach of the sea.

Check the Other Notes of Geography for Competitive Exams here.

Also, check the related Geography articles in the table below:
Tropical Evergreen Forests in India Tropical Deciduous Forests in India
Montane Forests in India Biosphere Reserves in India
Green Revolution in India Difference Between Tropical Evergreen And Tropical Deciduous Forest
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Top 5 Mangrove Forests In India

TheTop 5 Mangroves In India and their description is mentioned below;

Sundarbans, West Bengal

  • Few people are aware that the vast Sundarbans in West Bengal are the world’s largest mangrove areas!
  • The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site heavily inhabited by mangroves and home to the Royal Bengal Tigers, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • More than 180 tree and plant species may be found in the woodland. Other prominent inhabitants include Gangetic dolphins and estuary crocodiles.

Pichavaram Mangroves, Tamil Nadu

  • Pichavaram mangrove is one of India’s biggest mangrove forests, located near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
  • The entire region is breathtakingly beautiful and home to a great variety of aquatic birds.

Godavari – Krishna Mangroves, Andhra Pradesh

  • The Godavari-Krishna mangroves are found in the deltas of the Godavari and Krishna rivers and stretch from Odisha to Tamil Nadu on India’s eastern coast.
  • Calimere Wildlife and Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary preserve the forest, which is home to certain unique animal species and aquatic birds. Annual visitors include flamingos and Egrets.

Bhitarkanika Mangroves, Odisha

  • Bhitarkanika in Odisha is India’s second-biggest mangrove forest.
  • The two river deltas of the Brahmani and Baitarani produce the woodland. It is one of India’s most important Ramsar wetlands.

Baratang Island Mangroves, Andamans

  • On Andaman’s Baratang Island, another beautiful mangrove swamp may be found.
  • It’s a fantastic spot for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers, and it’s only 150 kilometers from Port Blair.
  • There are also several rare bird species to be seen here.

Characteristics of the Mangroves Ecosystem
  1. Mangroves are mostly members of the Rhizophoraceae family of plants.
  2. Mangroves can only be found in tropical and subtropical areas, primarily between the latitudes of 25°N and 25°S. They grow in bays, estuaries, lagoons, and backwaters at the land-sea interface.
  3. Mangroves have unique systems that allow them to withstand salt. Some mangroves take in salt and expel it through salt glands, whereas others use reverse osmosis to filter salts at the root zone.
  4. Some mangroves collect salt in their leaves, which they then shed in the summer.
  5. Mangroves thrive on low-oxygen, wet soil. As a result, their roots immediately take gases such as oxygen and nitrogen from the environment.
  6. Mangrove roots not only sustain the plant but also help it breathe and resist currents and storms. Their aerial roots feature lenticels, which are small pores that take in air.
  7. Mangroves contain unique roots termed breathing roots or pneumatophores that are used for this function.
  8. Many holes in these roots allow oxygen to access the subterranean tissues.
  9. Mangrove trees flourish in hot, muddy, salty environments because their roots are immersed in water. In those conditions, most plants would die.
  10. Mangroves store fresh water in thick succulent leaves, similar to desert plants.
  11. The leaves have a waxy covering that keeps water in and reduces evaporation.
  12. Their seeds germinate while still connected to the parent tree, making them viviparous. The seedling develops into a propagule once it has germinated.
  13. The adult propagule is then dropped into the water and transferred to a new location, where it ultimately takes root in solid ground.
  14. They can thrive in a saline environment, which is characterised by high salt and low oxygen levels.
  15. Any plant’s underground tissue requires oxygen to breathe. However, in a mangrove environment, soil oxygen is scarce or nonexistent. As a result, the root system of the mangrove takes oxygen from the atmosphere.
  16. The amount of mangroves in Asia is the highest in the world.
  17. Indonesia has the most mangroves, accounting for 30% of the world total, followed by Brazil, Australia, and India.

Distribution of Mangroves in India
  • Mangrove cover in India is 4,975 sq km, or 0.15 percent of the country’s total geographical area, according to the India State of Forest Report, 2019.
  • West Bengal has the greatest proportion of land covered with total mangroves, followed by Gujarat and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • The Sundarbans in West Bengal are the world’s biggest mangrove forest area. Sundarbans is designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
  • The Royal Bengal tiger, Gangetic dolphins, and Estuarine crocodiles all call the forest home.
  • West Bengal, followed by Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar, has the most mangroves.
  • Bhitarkanika, in Odisha, is India’s second-biggest mangrove forest, formed at the confluence of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. It is one of India’s most important Ramsar wetlands.
  • From Odisha to Tamil Nadu, the Godavari-Krishna mangroves stretch.
  • Mangrove forests may be found in the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and Cauvery river deltas.
  • Kerala’s backwaters are densely forested with mangroves.
  • Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu, features a large body of water surrounded by mangrove trees. Many aquatic bird species call it home.
  • During the 2004 tsunami in Tamil Nadu’s Pichavaram district, the mangrove forest along the shore decreased the pace and severity of the ferocious waves.

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Significance of Mangroves in India

Mangrove forests are one of the world’s most prolific ecosystems. They are natural wonders not just because of their adaptations, but also because of the critical function they play in our ecosystem.

Cleaning Water 

  • Mangrove roots impede water flow, allowing sediments to settle on the roots. A variety of hazardous metals and particles are deposited on the roots, decreasing water pollution.
  • A variety of creatures attached to the roots and function as filter-feeders underwater. These filter-feeders remove dirt and nutrients from the water.
  • As a consequence, pure, clear water is discharged into the sea, allowing coral reefs to thrive.

Diverse Wildlife and Food

  • Fish, crabs, sea snails, shellfish, and algae may all be found in mangroves. Monkeys and tiny insects eat the leaves and stems.
  • The mangroves and coral reefs in the area benefit from the nutrients provided by the falling leaves.
  • People consume the mangrove fruit, while the leaves are utilised for tea, medicine, and animal feed. Honey production relies heavily on mangrove blooms.

Coastal Protection

Threats To Mangrove Ecosystem

Causes of destruction

  • Shrimp aquaculture is a major cause of mangrove deforestation. Shrimps live in these woods in their native environment.
  • To make artificial ponds for shrimps, large tracts of mangroves are removed. Another fish habitat has also been lost as a result of this.

Natural and anthropogenic Challenges

  • The mangrove environment faces anthropogenic and natural challenges. These elements may have an impact on the entire system or on a single entity inside it, for example.
  • Climate change, cyclones, and physical processes are all-natural hazards.
  • Anthropogenic risks to the environment include diseases, degradation, pollution, grazing, agriculture, aquaculture, and human encroachment (including reclamation), among others.

Excessive Human Intervention

  • Mangroves were able to travel further inland with previous fluctuations in sea level, but in many areas, human civilization has created a barrier that restricts how far a mangrove forest may migrate.
  • Shrimp farms are responsible for at least 35 percent of the entire loss of mangrove ecosystems.

Disappearance of Mangroves

  • Mangroves are vanishing three to five times faster than global forest cover in the face of infrastructural expansion, urbanisation, and agricultural land conversion, according to UNESCO.
  • In the previous 40 years, mangrove coverage has decreased by half. Mangroves make up less than 1% of tropical forests.

Rising temperatures, and Seas

  • Rising sea levels and temperatures as a result of climate change pose a serious danger to mangroves.
  • If sea levels continue to rise as a result of ocean expansion and melting polar ice caps, large sections of coastal mangroves may be lost.
  • Deforestation of mangroves contributes to the decrease of fisheries, the deterioration of clean water sources, the salinization of coastal soils, erosion, and land subsidence.

Commercialisation of Coastal Areas

  • Aquaculture, coastal expansion, rice, and palm oil cultivation, and other industrial activities are quickly displacing these salt-tolerant trees and the ecosystems they sustain.

Developmental Activities

  • For agriculture, aquaculture, and other development operations, mangrove forests are also destroyed, filled in, and excavated.
  • Pollution, such as oil spills, poses a significant danger to mangroves. Another factor in the destruction of mangroves is the construction of ports and jetties.

Temperature and Soil Issues

  • Most plants can readily obtain oxygen from gases trapped within the surrounding soil, but mangrove roots are unable to do so since they are flooded with water up to two times each day.
  • A ten-degree temperature change in a short amount of time is enough to stress the plant, and even a few hours of freezing conditions can kill some mangrove species.
  • Because the soil where mangroves are rooted is extremely deficient in oxygen, it creates difficulty for plants.

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In this Article, we have studied the characteristics and threats of the Mangrove Ecosystem in India. To study more topics from Geography for UPSC, download the Testbook App now!

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Mangrove Forests In India FAQs

Trees and bushes that have adapted to live in a saltwater environment are known as mangroves. All of these trees thrive in low-oxygen soils where fine sediments can build due to slow-moving streams.

Mangrove forests may be found in India along the east and west coasts, as well as in the islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF) is the world's biggest contiguous mangrove forest, bordering the Bay of Bengal.

Mangrove forests are not present in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar.

West Bengal, followed by Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar, has the most mangroves.

Near Chidambaram, the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest is the world's second biggest mangrove forest.

Shoreline lines are sheltered from winds, waves, and floods of tempest and hurricanes due to Mangroves. With their tangled root systems, mangroves also assist to prevent erosion by stabilising sediments. They keep the water clean and clear by filtering contaminants and trapping sediments that come from the land.

Wide swaths of mangroves can limit tsunami heights, lowering the risk of death and property destruction in regions outside the mangroves.

Timber, seafood, tourism possibilities, and environmental services are all provided by mangrove ecosystems.
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