Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
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| Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 The Godavari Estuary in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary | |
  Location of Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, India  Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (India) | |
 Interactive map of Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| Location | Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Nearest city | Kakinada |
| Coordinates | 16°49′53″N 82°20′12″E / 16.83139°N 82.33667°E[1] |
| Area | 235.7 km2 (91.0 sq mi) |
| Established | 5 July 1978 |
| Governing body | Andhra Pradesh Forest Department |
| coringasanctuary | |
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is an estuary situated near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, India.[2][3] It is the third largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 mangrove tree species and more than 120 bird species. It is home to the critically endangered white-backed vulture and the long billed vulture.[1] Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone, with a dense tangle of prop roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides; hence, the mangrove forest gets flooded at least twice per day. The roots also slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom.
It also stabilizes the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. The intricate root system of the mangrove also makes the forest attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is 8 km from the port city of Kakinada, on the Kakinada-Yanam National Highway 216 in Chollangi Village, nestling on the deltaic branches of Gouthami and Godavari Rivers at Kakinada Bay.[1]
It is located between 16°-30' to 17°-00' N latitudes and 82°-14' to 82°-23'E longitudes.[4]
The sanctuary is a part of the Godavari estuary and has extensive mangrove and dry deciduous tropical forest.[1]
About half of the area is the backwater, which includes a sand pit of 18 km length. The rivers Coringa and Gaderu and their deltaic branches intersect the region, along with other water channels. This forms about 335.7 square kilometres (129.6 sq mi) of marsh vegetation.[1]
The average temperature of the region is 17–40 °C (63–104 °F).[1]
Average rainfall is greater than 1,000 mm.[1]
Flora
The Sanctuary in the estuary of River Godavari has rich mangrove vegetation.[1][4] There are thirty five species of plants belonging to twenty four families. The plant species that are commonly found are:
- Avicennia officinalis
- Avicennia marina
- Avicennia alba
- Excoecaria agallocha
- Rhizophora mucronata
- Ceriops decandra
- Bruguiera gymnorhiza
- Lumnitzera recemosa
- Sonneratia apetala
- Rhizophora conjugata
- Aegiceras corniculatum
- Thespesia populneoides
- Hibiscus tiliaceus.[4]
Apart from the tree species, some of the shrubs found in the sanctuary are:
Herbs like:
and grasses like:
are found in the sanctuary.[4]
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