CORINGA WILDLIFE SANTUARY


CORINGA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY :

     Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of the Godavari mangroves was declared as a sanctuary in July 1978 to conserve the mangrove vegetation of the estuary, extending in an area of about 235 Sq.Kms. It is located between 16-301 to 17-001 N latitudes and 82-141 to 82-231 E longitudes in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India.

     Mangroves are a group of salt tolerant plant species which occur in the tropieal and subtropical interidal estuaring regions. Mangroves constitute a dynamic ecosystem with a complex association of species both of flora and fauna of terrestrial and acuatic system and the vegetation in this forest is of evergreen type.

IMPORTANCE OF MANGROVES TO MANKIND:

The vital importance of mangroves are :

LIGHT HOUSE OF BRITISH REGIME

  1. Mangrove forest act as a barrier against the coastal storms, high velocity winds and the high tidal waves thus protecting the villages and the agricultural llands.
  2. Mangroves are a highly productive ecosystem, and supply nutrients to the marine living resources and thus increasing the Fish. Praw, Crab etc., production.
  3. Mangroves provide shelter to the wildlife particularly as a nesting ground for migratory birds.
  4. They protect the coast-line from erosion and also it reclaims land from the sea.
  5. They build up and extend coastal soils by accumulation and stabilisation of sediments.
  6. They provide highly valuled products like timber for boat building, Bank for tanning,Seedlings for food etc.,

FLORA :

     Thirty Five plant species are present in this sanctuary belonging to twenty four families. The plant species commonly found here are

SpecialTelugu Name
1. Avicennia officianalisNalla mada
2. Avicennia marinaTella mada
3. Avicennia albaVilva mada
4. Excoecaria agallochaTilla
5. Rhizophora mucronataUppu Ponna
6. Ceriops decandraCalhasu
7. Bruguiera gymnorrhizaOorudu
8. Lumnitzera racemosaThanduga
9. Sonneratia apetalaKalinga
10. Rhizophora ConjugataPonna
11. Aegiceras corniculatumGuggilam
12. Thespesia populneoidesAttakanarai
13. Hibiscus tiliaceousGangaravi

OORUDU

    Avicennia marina. A officinalis and A. alba representing the family Avicenniaceae and Excocoecaria agallocha belonging to Euphorobiaceae are dominant. The mangrove plants exhibit interesting adapatations such as stilt roots as in Rhizophora, pneumatophores (respiratory roots) in Avicennia and Sonneratia, viviparous seedlings in Rhizophora, Bruguiera and Ceriops. A part from the above tre. pecies, shrubs like Dabegia spinosa (Chillangi). Acanthus ilicifolius (Alchi) and Clerodendrum inerme (Pisingi) and herbs like Sesuvium portulacastrum, Suaeda maritima (Ilakura), Suaeda monoica (Ilakura) and Salicornia branchiatta and grasses like Aeluropus lagopoides. Porteresia coarctata (Yelugaddi) and Myriostachya wightiana (Dabbagaddi) are also found in the sanctuary.

THANDUGA


FAUNA :

The mangroves provide different kinds of niches for a variety of animal population. The crowns of trees including trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits provide niches essentially, to terrestrial fauna like birds, mammals and insects. The Soil Surface of mangroves provide niche for mudskippers, crabs and molluscs. The water in the forest supports a veriety of animals like the smooth Indian Otters (Mudskiper, Crab) Jackal Monkeys and Fishing cat. The Sanctuary has an unique distinction of having a 18 Km. long sand spit in the North Eastern side, where the species of olive Ridley sea turtle (endangered species) nests during January-March of every year.


Next Page