CleanupBot II at 21:04, 13 August 2023

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[[File:The_Coral_Reef_at_the_Andaman_Islands.jpg|thumb|right|Coral Reef at the Andaman Islands.]]
[[File:Feather star coral reef.jpg|thumb|right|Feather star coral reef in Lakshadweep atolls.]]

'''[[Coral reef]]s in [[Tourism in India|India]]''' are one of the most ancient and dynamic ecosystems of India. The coral reefs not only provide a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key role in protecting the coastline from erosion. India has about 7517 km of coastline including islands but mainland coast is 6100 km.

The Coral reefs in India are mainly restricted to the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], [[Gulf of Mannar]], [[Gulf of Kutch]], [[Palk Strait]] and the [[Lakshadweep]] islands. All of these reefs are [[Fringing reef|Fringing reefs]], except [[Lakshadweep]] which are [[Atolls]]. There are Patchy corals present along the inter-tidal areas of the central west coast like the intertidal regions of [[Malvan#Ratnagiri|Ratnagiri]], [[Malpe#Gaveshani|Gaveshani Bank]] etc. The [[Hermatypic coral]]s are also present along the sea shore from [[Kollam]] in Kerala to [[Enayam Puthenthurai]] in Tamilnadu.<ref name="Vineeta Hoon">{{Cite news|url=http://www.fao.org/3/x5627e/x5627e06.htm|title=Coral Reefs of India: Review of Their Extent, Condition, Research and Management Status by Vineeta Hoon|author=Vineeta Hoon|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization|access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>

== Research and Institutions==

The Major Institutions in India involved in the management, monitoring and research on Coral reefs are the [[Ministry of Earth Sciences]], the [[Zoological Survey of India]], [[Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute]], [[Madurai Kamaraj University]], [[Annamalai University]], [[National Centre for Earth Science Studies]], [[National Institute of Ocean Technology]], [[National Institute of Oceanography, India]] etc.<ref name="Vineeta Hoon"/>

The [[Space Applications Centre]] in Ahmedabad is involved in the data collection of areas under Coral reefs using remote sensing.<ref name="Vineeta Hoon"/>

==Laws and regulations==

The [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]] manages and guidelines for the protection of the Coral reefs in India. If the Coral reef region is under a protected area then it comes under the jurisdiction of the State Wild life department.<ref name="Vineeta Hoon"/>

The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 1991 gives protection to all marine resources. All types of coral reefs are protected under the CRZ1 category. Its Section 7 (2) prohibits the construction of beach resorts or hotels on coral reefs. In Certain States, the quarrying and collecting of massive corals are banned except for scientific purposes.<ref name="Vineeta Hoon"/>

== List of Coral reefs ==

* '''[[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]'''
:Situated in the [[Bay of Bengal]], exclusively fringing reefs of about 572 islands, most of these islands have a healthy biodiversity.<ref name="Planning Commission Report">{{cite book|title=Andaman and Nicobar Islands Development Report|series=State Development Report series|author=Planning Commission of India|edition=illustrated|publisher=Academic Foundation|year=2008|isbn= 978-81-7188-652-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujf2N5O4iKgC|access-date=3 November 2014}}</ref>

* '''[[Eastern Coastal Plains|Eastern Coast]]'''
There is a coral reef near the sea between [[Chandrabhaga beach|Chandrabhaga coast]] and [[Ramachandi Temple|Ramachandi]] in the [[Konark]] area of [[Odisha]].

* '''[[Gulf of Mannar]]'''
:Fringing reefs with a chain of 21 islands from [[Rameswaram]] in the north to [[Thoothukudi]] (Tuticorin) in the south. This part of the gulf forms part of the [[Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park|Gulf of Mannar biosphere reserve]].<ref name=UNDP1>{{cite web|url=http://data.undp.org.in/factsheets/ene/oct06/GulfofMannar.pdf |title=Conservation and Sustainable-use of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve's Coastal Biodiversity |access-date=3 November 2014 |author=UNDP |year=1994 |publisher=UNDP, Project Brief, New York |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721180802/http://data.undp.org.in/factsheets/ene/oct06/GulfofMannar.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref>

* '''[[Gulf of Kutch]]'''
:Exclusively consists of [[fringing reef]]s. The reefs are relatively less developed due to large range of temperature and high salinity. The harbours have less biodiversity. The entire Gulf of Kutch is also known as a [[Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch|marine national park]].<ref name="bnhs">{{cite journal|last=Apte|first=Deepak|title=Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutchh: A conservation challenge|publisher=Bombay Natural History Society|pages=26–27|url=http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/GulfofKutch.pdf|access-date=3 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925110300/http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/GulfofKutch.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2007}}</ref>

* '''[[Lakshadweep]]'''
:Exclusively [[Atoll|coral atolls]] with 36 islands, of which 10 are inhabited. The islands range from less than {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} to about {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length, and do not exceed {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} in width.<ref name=lap>{{cite web|title=Location, Area and Population|url=http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_locationAreaPopulation.html|publisher=lakshadweep.nic.in|access-date=3 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512103200/http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_locationAreaPopulation.html|archive-date=12 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* '''[[Western Coastal Plains|Western Coast]]'''
:There are some coral reefs around small inlets in the western part of the [[Gulf of Khambat]]. [[Angria Bank]] is a coral reef off [[Vijaydurg (city)|Vijaydurg]] in Maharashtra. [[Tarkarli]] in [[Malwan]], Maharashtra is a smaller reef. There is a coral reef in [[Netrani Island]] in Karnataka.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Gujarat Gulfs.jpg|Gulf of Kutch on the left; image by [[NASA Earth Observatory]]
File:Mannar 79.03963E 9.52009N.jpg|[[Gulf of Mannar]]
File:Agatthiyatti Stone.jpg|Scene at [[Lakshadweep]] Island
File:North Sentinel Island.jpg|[[North Sentinel Island]] is an island in the group of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Coastal India]]
* [[Fishing in India]]
* [[Central Indian Ridge]]
* [[Southeast Indian Ridge]]
* [[Southwest Indian Ridge]]
* [[Rodrigues Triple Junction]]
* [[Shiva crater]]
* [[Tourism in India]]
* [[List_of_islands_of_India|List of islands in India]]
* [[List of beaches in India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* [http://nbaindia.org/uploaded/docs/ncb_jan_06_12.pdf Coral Reefs in India – National Biodiversity Authority of India]
* [http://www.nio.org/index/option/com_nomenu/task/show/tid/85/sid/92/id/196 Official website – National Institute of Oceanography]

[[Category:Coral reefs]]
[[Category:Reefs of India]]
[[Category:India geography-related lists]]

{{india-stub}}{{Corals}}

Coral reefs in India - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 21:04, 13 August 2023