What is it :

• One of the most prominent mangroves species found in all mangrove formations in India.
• Salt-secreting and extraordinarily salt-tolerant mangrove species that grows optimally in 75% seawater and tolerates >250% seawater.
• Among the rare plant species, which can excrete 40% of the salt through the salt glands in the leaves, besides its extraordinary capacity to exclude salt entry to the roots.
• Is also referred to as grey mangrove or white mangrove.

What is in news : Scientists of Department of Biotechnology (DBT)-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar for the first time have decoded the reference-grade whole genome sequence of a highly salt-tolerant and salt-secreting mangrove species, Avicennia marina.

MAHITI FOR PRELIMS

Mangroves in India

• According to the State of Forest Report 2019, mangrove cover in the country is 4,975 sq km, which is 0.15% of the country’s total geographical area.
• Mangrove cover in the country has increased by 54 sq km (1.10%) as compared to the previous assessment (2017).
• The deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and the Cauvery rivers contain mangrove forests.
• The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forest.
• The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove region in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It spans from the Hooghly River in West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh.
• The Bhitarkanika mangrove system in Odisha is India’s second largest mangrove forest.
• Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forests. It is home to many aquatic bird species.
• West Bengal has 42.45% of India’s mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat 23.66% and A&N Islands 12.39%.