Mangroves, a fast disappearing asset : Study

MUMBAI: Mangroves living along Maharashtra coastline are being threatened and fast disappearing due to various human activities including government initiatives like 'Kharland bunding', a study said.

A botanist of Raje Ramrao College, Jat Sangli, said efforts have to be made on a warfooting to conserve some of the endangered and critically endangered species of mangroves along the Maharashtra coastline as they are the shoreline protectors and habitat for a variety of animals, the latest journal 'Current Science' reported.

Maharashtra is one of the important states of India with unique mangrove diversity along its 720 kilometers coastline, distributed in about 55 estuaries in five districts.

There are about 24 typical mangroves along with ten halophytes, 12 borderline species and 15 associates in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts alone and the rest of the districts show more or less similar composition.

The study also showed that there has been lack of awareness among locals about the role played by mangroves in maintaining the ecosystem.