Andaman booklet aw.FH10 - Zoological Survey of India

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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. 06
Mount Harriet National Park: So far, 529 species are known from Mount Harriett National Park, of which 149 are endemic to species/subspecies level. The highest endemism has been recorded in case of butterflies, which is more than 66 per cent followed by the birds (50 per cent). These two groups have been extensively studied in these islands. Besides, 7 species of Annelida, 2 species of scorpions, 5 species of centipedes, 348 species of insects, 16 species of fishes, 8 species of amphibians, 31 species of reptiles, 88 species of birds belongs to 68 genera, and 32 families, and 12 species of mammals were reported. Rani Jhansi Marine National Park: Rani Jhansi Marine National Park is situated in Ritchie's Archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with extent of 256 km 2 . It comprised of three islands namely Henry Lawerence, John Lawrence and Outram. The coral reef fauna and flora reported from these islands includes, 750 species of fishes, 1422 species of molluscs, 427 species of echinoderms, 112 species of sponges, 418 species of hard corals and 111 species of soft corals, 839 species of crustaceans and 64 species of algae. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park: Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is situated 29 km from Port Blair, the park covers 281.5 km² made up of 15 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area. This National Park was declared in the year 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area. Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (GNBR): The GNBR is one of the 15 Biosphere Reserves designated under the Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. It is situated in Great Nicobar Island which is about 145 km from Sumatra Island of Indonesia. The vertebrate fauna recorded so far includes 14 species of mammals, 71 species birds, 26 species of reptiles and 10 species of amphibians and 113 species of fishes; Invertebrates are represented by 7 species of annelids, 417 species of insects including 73 species of butterflies and 132 moths. The important endemic species in Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve are, Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis, Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus, Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaia nicobarica, Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis, Saltwater Crocodile Crocodylus porosus, Giant Leatherback Sea Turtle 07
Page 1: Fauna of Protected Areas of Andaman
Page 4 and 5: CITATION Sivaperuman, C. and Raghun
Page 6 and 7: Saddle Peak in North Andaman and 64
Page 8 and 9: identifiable groups. Of these, only
Page 12 and 13: Dermochelys coriacea, Reticulated P
Page 14 and 15: 36. Jungle Island Wildlife Sanctuar
Page 16 and 17: Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Island
Page 18 and 19: diversity of reef fish. These brigh
Page 20 and 21: Some important animals in the prote
Page 22 and 23: Dugong Dugong dugon: The Dugong dug
Page 24 and 25: Andaman Wood Pigeon Columba palumbo
Page 26 and 27: Nicobar Scops-Owl Otus alius: The N
Page 28 and 29: Studies conducted by Zoological Sur
Page 30: Biodiversity Conservation Prioritie

Andaman booklet aw.FH10 - Zoological Survey of India

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