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Introduction
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Ecologically
Important Areas
Information
in Detail
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Hanovar:
The
Honavar town is located at 14°15' N latitude and 74°25' E longitude respectively.
The river Sharavathi is the major river in this area. Honavar has a harbour for
trade and commerce. The important wetland classes in Honavar are described in
Table 2.
Table
2. Wetland classes and its area extent of Honavar
S.No | Wetland
classes | Area
in kmē | 01 | Mangrove
| 0.04 | 02 | Mud
flat | 3.11 | 03 | Sandy
Beach | 6.31 | 04 | Rocky
Coast | 0.8 | 05 | Salt
Marsh | 1.13 | 06 | Aquaculture
Ponds | 23.14 | 07 | Salt
Pan | 0.16 | 08 | Reserved
Forest | 2.18 |
Historical
Importance:
In 1502, Vasco da Gama imposed
commercial restrictions on the Chief of Honavar , to accept the suzerainty of
the King of Portugal during his second voyage to India. Later Honavar witnessed
many battles between Mysore dynasty (Vijayanagara dynasty) and English East India
Company.
Economic Importance:
The
major economic activity of the Uttara Kannada district is fishing. Fishery sector
is playing a crucial role in the developmental activities of this area. This district
is rich in mineral deposits. Lime, Quartz, Bauxite, Lime stone, Silica and Sand
are the minerals of considerable importance. Iron ore deposits are mainly found
in Ankola, Honavar and Yellapur taluks. Besides all this , agriculture and horticulture
constitute the backbone of the economy of the district. Forests also play a significant
role in economy. Uttara Kannada is well known for the production of Areca nuts,
Coconut, Pepper, Cardamom, Cashew and Pineapple besides Plantain.
Fig:
Ecologically Important Area in Karnataka: Honavar
also
see: Honavar, another view
Ecological
Importance:
Flora:
Estuarine
mangrove forest consists of 14 species of mangrove belonging to seven families.
Avicennia
officinalis, A. marina, Kandelia candel, Rhizopora mucronata, Sonneratia alba,
Aegiceras corniculatum, Excoecaria agallocha alba, K. candel, Sonneratia caseolaris,
Acanthus ilicifolius, clerodendrum inerme and Rhizophora
conjugate are the important mangrove species in this
area. The backwaters support a varity of algae, including Enteromorpha
intestinalis, Chaetomorpha
lineum, Monostroma sp., Porphyra uietnamensis, and Gracilaria
uerrucosa. The coastal sand dune vegetation is dominated
by Impomoea
pescaprae, Asparagus dumosus, Spinifex littoreus, Cyperus aristatus, Sporobolus
tremulus, Leucas aspera, and Casuarina
equisetifolia on the forshore, and Vitex
negundo, Pandanus sp., Durana repens, Anacardium occidentale,
and Cocos
nucifera on the backshore.
Fauna:
The
estuaries sustain rich populations of fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs, species
of commercial importance include fishes of the genera Chanos,
Mugil, Arius, Gerrus, Ploynemus, Periophthalmus, Caranx, Epinephalus,
and Therapon;
shrimps of genera Penaeus,
Macrobrachium, Metapenaeus, and Alphaeus;
crab of the genera Uca,
Neptunus, and Thalassira;
and a variety of clams and oysters.
Coastal Infrastructure:
There
are about 10 industries and 4 hotels in this area. There are no power plants.
Coastal
land use and land cover pattern:
The forest
coverage in Honavar is 57,632 ha. The total cultivable agricultural area is 9,597
ha. The total land put for non-agricultural use is 505 ha and the land suitable
for agriculture is 1,012 ha.
Tourism:
The
Ramathirtha in the Honavar Beach, Basavaraj Durga island, Idagunji temple and
the Gerusoppa water falls/ Jain Basadis are all famous tourist spots.
Population:
Rural
and Urban populations are 1,29,650. and 1,61,92. respectively. Female population
is more than male population. The density of the population is 193 / km2 and the
percentage of growth from 1981 to 1991 is 14%. The literacy level is 77% and 57%
in males and females respectively.
Aquaculture:
The
area suitable for aquaculture development is 3900 ha., out of which 1600 ha. has
been fully utilized for aquaculture. More than 350 farmers are practicing scientific
aqua farming and 9 hatcheries are there with production capacity of 480 million
per year of Tiger prawns and 1 ton / ha/ crop of shrimp production. The number
of traditional farms in Uttar Kannada district is 36. The area under traditional
aqua farming is 1500 ha. There are about 5000 of traditional farmers in Honavar.
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