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 Gujarat coast.
| Site |
Ecological
Importance | Geographic
Location | Area
in km² | |
| Gulf
Kachchh | Mangrove
Coral Reef | 20º15'
to 23º35' N
60º05' to 70º22' E | 1307.8
(Mangrove)
406.5 (Coral ) | 131.4
Km (Mangrove) 94.91km (Coral Main) 75.4 Km (Coral Island) |
| Gulf
of Khambat | Estuary
| 22
º15'-22º 30'N
72º 15'-72º 30'E | 6.4
(Mangrove) | 2.63
km (Mangrove) |
Geographic
Location of Gujarat:
Gujarat
covers an area of 1,96,024 km² with a population density of 210/Km2. Gujarat on
the West Coast of India is bounded on the North - West by Pakistan, the North
by Rajasthan, the East by Madhya Pradesh, on the South and South - East by Maharashtra.
It comprises the Peninsula known as Saurashtra, the barren, rocky North - East
containing the Rann of Kutch, and the mainland from the Rann of Kutch and Aravalli
hills to the river Damanganga. The main rivers flowing in Gujarat are Sabarmathi,
Mahi, Narmada and Tapti. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the Northern border
of Gujarat.
Fig:
Indicating
Ecologically Important Areas of Gujarat Coast
Gujarat
ranks first in the country in the production of cotton and groundnut and second
in the production of tobacco. Gujarat accounts for nearly 63% of infant milk produced
in the country. There is exploration and production of oil and natural gas at
Ankleswar, Combay and Kalol.Gujarat has the longest shoreline of about 1663 km.
The Gujarat coast provides a wide variety of coastal features due to its varied
physiography, geomorphology, coastal processes and river discharge into the sea.
The Gujarat coast has been broadly classified into five regions
The
Rann of Kachchh, the Saurashtra coast, Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Khambhat and the
South Gujarat coast, based on the distinct variation in the wetland/landform categories.
These variations are due to climate, substrate constituents and topography. Mangrove
forests occupy creeks and tributaries that crisscross the coastal belt. The areas
selected for the present study are Gulf of Kachchh, South of Dwaraka and Diu Islands.
