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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/3787

Title: State of knowledge of coastal and marine biodiversity of Indian Ocean countries
Authors: Wafar, M.V.M.
Venkataraman, K.
Ingole, B.S.
Khan, S.A.
LokaBharathi, P.A.
Citation: PLoS ONE 6(1): e14613. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014613
Issue Date: 2011
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Abstract: The Indian Ocean (IO) extends over 30% of the global ocean area and is rimmed by 36 littoral and 11 hinterland nations sustaining about 30% of the world’s population. The landlocked character of the ocean along its northern boundary and the resultant seasonally reversing wind and sea surface circulation patterns are features unique to the IO. The IO also accounts for 30% of the global coral reef cover, 40,000 sq. kms of mangroves, some of the world’s largest estuaries, and 9 large marine ecosystems. Numerous expeditions and institutional efforts in the last two centuries have contributed greatly to our knowledge of coastal and marine biodiversity within the IO. The current inventory, as seen from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, stands at 34,989 species, but the status of knowledge is not uniform among countries. Lack of human, institutional, and technical capabilities in some IO countries is the main cause for the heterogeneous level of growth in our understanding of the biodiversity of the IO. The gaps in knowledge extend to several smaller taxa and to large parts of the shelf and deep-sea ecosystems, including seamounts. Habitat loss, uncontr lled developmental activities in the coastal zone, overextraction of resources, and coastal pollution are serious cons raints on maintenance of highly diverse biota, especially in countries like those of the IO, where environmental regulations are weak
Document type: Journal Article
Copyright: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
URI: http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/3787
Appears in Collections:Biological Sciences

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