Ecologically Important Areas of Orissa Coast
Ecologically Important Areas

Home Introduction Objectives Methodology Ecologically Important Areas Information in Detail	Ecologically Important Areas:       Institute for Ocean Management has identified the following sites (Table 1) under the category of Ecologically Important Areas.          Table 1.  Ecologically Important coastal areas identified in Orissa coast. District Site Ecological Importance Geographic Location Area in km² Ganjam and Puri Chilka Lake Lagoon 19° 28'-19° 54'N 85 °05'- 85 38'E 1165 Balukhand Reserve forest, Breeding and spawning ground for reptiles including turtles. 19° 49-19° 50'N 85° 51-85° 00'E 9.32 Kendrapara Rushikulya Estuary, Breeding and spawning ground for reptiles including turtles. 19° 22'-19° 24'N 85° 02'-85° 05'E --- Bhitarkanika Mangroves, Breeding and spawning ground of reptiles. 20° 4'-20° 8N 86° 45'-87° 50'E 267.14 Fig: Indicating the Ecologically Important Areas in Orissa Coast Geographic Location of Orissa:       Orissa coast is mainly depositional in nature, formed by the Mahanathi and the Brahmani-Baitarani deltas. The state has a long coastline (480 kms), lagoons and offshore islands on the eastern part along the Bay of Bengal, while on the western part it has large areas of hilly forests. The coastal plains of the state extend from Subarnarekha River in the north to the Rushikulya in the south and are narrow in the north. Mahanadi and Subarnarekha are the major estuaries, while Rushikulya, Bahuda, Devi, Balijhori, Ghalia, Kharnasi, Jambu,etc are the minor estuaries. Chilka Lake is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, stretches over an area of 1100km². Bhitarkanika is the second largest mangrove ecosystem of India, next to Sundarbans mangroves. Gahirmatha is the largest breeding ground for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in the world.
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