Andaman booklet aw.FH10 - Zoological Survey of India

million) km2 (Saldanha, 1989). The extraordinary marine biodiversity
recorded includes more than 1,200 species of fish, 350 species of
echinoderms, 1,000 species of molluscs and many more species of
lower forms of life (ANI F&E 2001).
The Andaman and Nicobar coral reefs are the second richest found
in the world. Coral reefs surround every island and are estimated to
cover around 11,939 km2 (Turner et al. 2001). They consist mainly
of fringing reefs with a barrier reef only on the western side. They
are the largest reef formations of the Indian sub-continent and
contain as many as 450 species. Seagrass beds occur in shallow
coastal waters and sheltered bays, where clear water allows light
penetration. Highly threatened marine animals, such as dugongs
and marine turtles, use this habitat essentially as a feeding ground
(Das, 1996).
Protected areas
There are 105 protected areas (9 National Parks and 96 Wildlife
Sanctuaries) have been established over an area of 1271.12 km2 on
land and 349.04 km 2 in surrounding territorial sea (Table 3; Fig. 2).
The Rowe Island and Goose island jointly share the distinction of
being smallest sanctuary having 0.01 km2 area while Campbell Bay
National Park is the largest (425.23 km2 ) among the all the Protected
areas in Andaman and Nicobar. The Great Nicobar Island in Nicobar
has a Biosphere Reserve. There are two national parks inside Great
Nicobar Biosphere Reserve viz., the Campbell and Galathea.
Altogether, protected areas occupy 16.71 per cent of the notified
forest area. The Andaman has 12.52 per cent of notified forests
within protected areas and Nicobar has 30.23 per cent.
Important National Parks, Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserve
Saddle Peak National Park: It is the highest peak of these
Islands possessing a number of endemic species. The Saddle Peak
National Park in the North
Andaman is also part of the
proposed North Andaman
Biosphere Reserve. Total of 20
species of mammals, 96 species of
birds, 26 species of reptiles, 16
species of fishes, 7 species of
annelids and 227 species of insects were reported.
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