Page 136 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

134 COASTS AND THE SEASHORE

INDIAN OCEAN WEST Mangroves occur in a wide range have been recorded in Madagascar, sharks, and aquatic and wading birds,
of environmental conditions on although only six are widespread. such as herons, spoonbills, and egrets.
Madagascar Madagascar, fostered by a high tidal Several of Madagascar’s endemic birds, Many of the fish and bird species here
range, extensive low-lying coastal including the Madagascar heron, are found nowhere else in the world.
Mangroves areas, and a constant supply of fresh Madagascar teal, and Madagascar Unfortunately, the mangroves are
river water, which brings a high silt fish-eagle, use the mangroves and threatened by urban development,
PRINCIPAL SPECIES Gray,
yellow, long-fruited stilt, load. They occupy about 600 miles associated wetland habitats. Dugongs overfishing, and the development
and large-leafed orange (1,000 km) of the island’s coastline (relatives of manatees) glide through of land for rice and shrimp farming.
mangroves and are often associated with coral the waters, feeding on sea grasses,
AREA 1,300 square miles reefs, which protect them from ocean while huge quantities of invertebrates MANGROVE MAZE
(3,300 square km)
swell. The mangroves, in turn, capture and fish swim freely among the This area of coastal mangroves, bisected
river sediment that otherwise would fingerlike roots of the mangroves. by numerous channels, is located on the
LOCATION Scattered areas around the coast of
Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa threaten both reefs and seagrass beds. These provide an abundance of food northeastern coast of Madagascar, at the
Up to nine different mangrove species for animals such as the Nile crocodile, mouth of the Ambodibonara River.

INDIAN OCEAN NORTH INDIAN OCEAN NORTH huge delta formed by sediments
from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and
Pichavaram Mangrove Sundarbans Mangrove Meghna rivers. The region contains
thousands of mangrove-covered islands
Wetland Forest intersected by an intricate network
of waterways. The Bengal tiger
PRINCIPAL SPECIES Gray, PRINCIPAL SPECIES
milky, stilted, Sundri, milky mangrove, swims here from island to island,
small-fruited orange, yellow mangrove, Indian hunting prey such as spotted deer
and yellow mangroves mangrove, keora and wild boar. Other inhabitants
AREA 5 square miles AREA 3,200 square miles include fishing cats, rhesus
(12 square km) (8,000 square km)
macaque monkeys, water
monitor lizards, hermit crabs,
LOCATION Tamil Nadu, southeastern India, 90 miles LOCATION Southwestern Bangladesh and
(150 km) south of Chennai northeastern India, between Calcutta and Chittagong the Gangetic dolphin, and
various sharks and rays. Habitat
The Pichavaram Mangrove Wetland This forest, a World Heritage Site since destruction threatens this region:
lies on a delta between the Vellar and 1997, is the largest continuous mangrove more than half of the original
Coleroon estuaries in southeastern ecosystem in the world. It is part of a mangroves have been cut down.
India. It consists of a number of small
OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS and aquaculture ponds surround the inhabitant of the wetlands SATELLITE VIEW
and large mangrove-covered islets
GAVIAL
intersected by numerous channels
and creeks. Fishing villages, croplands,
One extremely endangered
area. This small, carefully preserved
and rivers of Bangladesh is
wetland is thought to have saved many
the gavial, a crocodilian.
lives during the 2004 Indian Ocean
Once quite common in
tsunami. When the tsunami struck, six
the Sundarbans, their
villages that were physically protected
numbers have dwindled due to
by the mangroves incurred no damage,
accidental capture in fishing nets
while other, unprotected villages were
and other factors. Gavials are
totally devastated. The wetland may
probably heading for regional
have reduced the tsunami’s impact
extinction, although captive
partly by slowing the onward rush of
In this satellite view of part of the Ganges–
breeding programs in India and
the sea through frictional effects and
Brahmaputra–Meghna delta, the Sundarbans
Nepal aim to save the species.
partly by absorbing water into its
Mangroves form the area that appears dark
red. On the right is the Bay of Bengal.
numerous canals and creeks.