Holocene history of mangrove vegetation in India: a palynological interpretation

Abstract

Mangroves are defined as the tropical intertidal plant community which thrives both on the eastern and western coasts in India. Considerable work has been carried out on the floristics and economic potential of mangrove vegetation. It has been recently realised that the major part of coastland is transformed into the bareland, though no definite single reason can be assigned for the extermination of mangroves from the Indian coasts.

In view of problems, related to the causes of degradation and extermination of mangroves, the awareness amongst palaeobiogeographers and palynologists is well exemplified by undertaking palynological investigations of estuarine sediments. It has been observed that the eastern and western coasts of India are not comparable; rather they differ greatly in the vegetational composition. The investigated areas are: Gangetie-Sunderbans, Mahanadi- Brahmani, Godavari and Cauvery deltas on the eastern coast and back water sediments from Kutch, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Karnaraka on the western coast. A synthesis and interpretation of available palynological data, has been given in order to reconstruct the palaeofloristics and translate them in terms of various events and episodes which had occurred during the Holocene Epoch. The causes of mangrove deterioration in time and space and coordinated scheme for greening the coastland have also been discussed.