Monday 16 March 2015

Coral reef in Malvan Sindhudurg

According to recent survey, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has found three record of coral reef on our own malvan near Sindhudurg Maharashtra.

Along with this the commonly found species of Turbinaria mesenterina, Goniatsrea pectinata, Porites lichen, Porites lutea, Siderastrea savignvana, Coscinarea monile, Cyphastera serialia, Pleasiastrea versipora, Leptastrea sp, Cyphastrea sp and Goniopora sp, new records of Goniatsrea sp, Porites sp and Turbinaria sp have been found in the survey covering 180 km of the Sindhudurg coast – according to DNA and THE HINDU

Now, It required most efforts to protect the reef with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has sanctioned Rs. 80 lakh towards capacity building of the local people.

 A team from the Marine Biology Regional Centre of the ZSI in Chennai and another team from Kolkata conducted a study last week on the status of the coral reef and monitored its health.

According to ZSI official - “Fishing is going on there and tourists are also coming to the area for corals. We have to find a way to balance fishing and tourism with the protection of corals in Malvan, ”Unlike the reefs found in other parts of the country — Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — those in Malvan are “pristine and still unbleached,” he said.

The ZSI had earlier transplanted coral reef from the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu to the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat over one square km with assistance from the World Bank. There is good tourist flow and corals are in the main attraction for tourists. Now it has to do fine balancing to protect corals since fishing too goes on unabated in malvan. It is one of the finest discoveries in Malvan this is a value added attraction and it would boost tourism, It will also boost adventure tourism such as Scuba diving.


We will spread this message across the globe and will make it grow and famous as The Great Coral Reef in Australia “The Great Barrier Reef”.


-Source DNA, The Hindu and Internet.