Abstract

Coastal and marine biodiversity play a crucial role in economy by virtue of their resources, productive habitats and rich biodiversity. Within sixty kilometres of the shoreline more than half the world’s population lives, and this could rise to three quarters by the year 2020 [1,2]. The population surge along the narrow coastal strip is the ultimate driver for escalating pressures on the world’s coastal area, which are dominated by sandy beaches [1]. Thus, much of today’s and near future anthropogenic pressure on global ecosystem is directed at coastal wetlands. India has a coastline of about more than 7500km of which the mainland accounts for 5422km, Lakshadweep coast extends up to 132km and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have coastline of 1962km. More than two hundred fifty million people live within a distance of fifty kilometres from the coast. The dissimilarities between the west and east coasts are remarkable.