Major Threats

Coral reefs which are considered to be important mainly for the fisheries industry, coastal protection and tourism are highly stressed throughout the coastal region due to high population density and demands on coastal and reef resources (Salm 1981, De Silva 1983, Ohman et al, 1993, White and Rajasuriya 1995, Rajasuriya et al., 1999, 2000a, Wilkinson 1998). The other major threats that cause serious impacts are high levels of sedimentation due to deforestation, unmanaged and destructive fishing, pollution, coastal development, coral extraction for building materials and unplanned land use practices. To the oceanic islands and atolls the main threats to coral reefs are fishing and removal of corals for building materials and dredging (Rajasuriya et al., 2000b). Coral blocks are used directly for construction purposes in Lakshadweep due to lack of local building materials (Per. obn. and Koya, S.I. Per.com).

The Lakshadweep islands lack mangroves except for Minicoy island as reported by Untawale and Jagtap (1984). Approximately 60% of India’s coastal marine fish species are dependent on the mangrove estuarine complex as a feeding, breeding and nursery grounds (Gopinathan and Selvaraj, 1996). Mangroves are being rapidly destroyed throughout the country, especially for land reclamation and wood which are considered to protect the coastlines. Only few mangroves were observed in the survey sites.

Click to know more:

• Project Abstract
• Oil Spillage
• Pollution
• Coral bleaching
• Highlights of the findings achieved in the project
• Detailed report of work done on the project
• Description of the study areas
• Recommendation including remedial measures
• Impacts of the work on the scientific potential of our country