Question

The percentage of mangrove forest in India is __________.
a)Less than 1%
b)Less than 2%
c)Less than 3%
d)Less than 4%

Answer 1

Hint: The mangrove forests are rich in biodiversity. They are unique and provide a number of ecological services. The Forest survey of India publishes the biennial “India State of Forest Report (IFSR)”. It is to assess the forest and tree resources of the country.

Complete Answer: Mangrove forests are mostly found near the delta basins of the rivers. They are found in the areas of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get augmented on such coasts. Dense mangroves are the common varieties having their roots submerged under water. The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Kaveri are dominated by such vegetation. In the GangaBrahmaputra delta, sundari trees are found, which accounts for the durable hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc., also grow in some parts of the forest. Royal Bengal Tiger is the most famous animal of those forests. The other animals include turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes.
The mangrove cover in India is 3,975 square kilometers. That means it covers around 0.15% of India’s total geographical area.

Looking at the options given:
Option a: The percentage of mangrove forest is less than 1%. It is the correct answer
Option b: The percentage of mangrove forest is not less than 2%. It is an incorrect answer.
Option c: The percentage of mangrove forest is not less than 3%. It is an incorrect answer.
Option d: The percentage of mangrove forest is not less than 4%. It is an incorrect answer.

Option ‘a’ is correct.

Note: According to the ISFR 2019 report, the top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujrat (37 sq km), Maharashtra (16 sq km) and Odisha (8 sq km).