Littoral and swamp forests
Topic: Natural Vegetation and Forests of India · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"
Meaning
Littoral and swamp forests grow on coasts and in wetlands. "Littoral" means along the shore. They include mangroves in deltas and estuaries (where rivers meet the sea) and swamp forests in marshes. Mangroves have breathing roots called pneumatophores, which stick up out of the mud to take in air, as well as stilt roots. These forests protect coasts from storm surge and tsunami, store "blue carbon" (carbon held in coastal ecosystems) and support fisheries.
Example
The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the world's largest mangrove forest and is known for the sundari tree. Other examples are Bhitarkanika (Odisha), Coringa (Godavari delta, Andhra Pradesh), Pichavaram (Tamil Nadu) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Don't confuse with
- Wetlands: a wider term that covers marshes, lakes, lagoons and paddy land. Littoral and swamp forests are only the forested parts of coasts and wetlands.