Ecologically Important Areas of
Maharashtra Coast
Ecologically Important Areas

 

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Ecologically Important Areas of Maharashtra Coast:
     Institute for Ocean Management has identified Malvan and Ratnagiri under the category of ecologically important areas in the state of Maharashtra.

District
Site
Ecological Importance
Geographic Location
Area in kmē
Coast length(km)
 Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri
Mangrove
73°15'30''- 73°22'30''E
16°15'00''- 17°05'00''N
0.36
1.20
Malvan
Coral Reef
Mangrove
73°22'30''- 73°30'16''E
16°00'00''- 16°07'30''N
0.43
0.04
0.99


Geographical Location:
     Maharashtra has an area of 3,07,690 Sq.kms with a population density of 256/Sq.km.. Maharashtra is the third largest state in the country both in terms of size and population. It is bordered by the Arabian sea in the west, Gujarat in the North-West, Andhra Pradesh in the South-East and Karnataka and Goa in the South. The Sahyadris Western Ghats run parallel to the Sea Coast. The main rivers flowing through the state are Godavari, Bhima and Krishna. The state of Maharashtra stretches from the coast of the Arabian sea along the Western Ghats to the Deccan Plateau. The Maharashtra coast is characterized by pocket beaches flanked by rocky cliffs of deccan basalt; estuaries and patches of mangroves. Maharashtra state has about 720 km long indented coastline, which is marked by the presence of major estuaries and narrow creeks. It comprises the coastal districts of Thane, Raigad, Greater Bombay, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The Shoreline is generally straight. The area receives over 300cms of annual rainfall spread over 4 months of the year.
Physiographically the area can be divided into 3 parts from the west to east as follows:
  • A narrow fringe of quaternary fluvio-marine sediments
  • Steep rocky slopes encircling the plateaus
  • An undulating plateau profile rising in height towards the east



 

     The main drainage in the coastal area trends in a general East-West direction and flows to the Arabian sea in the west. The Dudh, Vaitarna, Ulhas, Amba, Kundalika, Vashishthi, Savitri, Shastri and Terekhol rivers and their tributaries form the main drainage.
     The Maharashtra coast popularly known as Konkan coast is an important sector on the West coast of India, because of its physical distinctiveness, biota and marine resources. The coastal areas are populated and developed in the active region of Konkan. The coastal region is hilly, narrow, highly dissected with transverse ridges of the western ghats and at many places extending as promontories, notches, sea caves, embayments, submerged shoals and offshore islands. Some of the major problems faced by the littoral zone and the shore front areas of Maharashtra coast are related to coastal erosion, siltation, pollution, destruction of mangrove swamps, salt marshes, sea level rise, landslides and slope failure, pressure of population, industrialization, road transport etc.

 

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