THE COASTAL KERALA (WETLANDS, BACKWATERS & THE BEACHES)

Kerala has a long coastal line of 590 km on the western side of the state hugging the Arabian Sea and studded with world famous beaches. This region, known as the lowlands or coastal area is lying below 10 m sea level. The coastal Kerala is bestowed with a vast network of backwaters, lagoons, natural lakes, rivers and canals. Kerala has two distinct monsoon seasons (rainfall seasons) resulting in near waterlogged conditions in almost 20% of the total geographic area of the state as wetlands. Kerala has a total of 217 wetland areas in Kerala. Forty one rivers of Kerala merge into the Arabian Sea facilitating inland navigation through backwaters, lakes and rivers. Coastal Kerala is essentially a land of coconut groves, paddy fields, fisheries and aquaculture. The marine, brackish and freshwater fisheries are important for the state’s economy. For a biologist, the Ramsar convention wetlands, mangrove forests and marine biodiversity of Kerala serve as a natural laboratory. For a tourist, golden sandy beaches, coastal village lives of people, greenery of coconut palms and rice fields, pristine backwaters, exotic mangrove forests, Chinese fishing nets, local boats, village culture and coir making industries provide an unforgettable experience of Kerala.
                          
Kerala has some of the best beaches in the world. They are Kovalam, Poovar, Varkala, Marari, Cherai and a host of others. Kerala’s coastal waters are rich with large variety of fishes like pearl spot, shrimp, prawn, mullet, catfish etc.. Kerala has many fishery harbors and fishermen enclaves.

 

CORAL REEFS AND LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS

Lakshwadeep islands lie scattered in the Arabian Sea about 225 to 450 km west from the mainland of Kerala.  Visitors searching for exclusive “tropical paradise” and experience of coral reefs with exotic marine life can be found in the 36 tiny islands, only 30 minutes from Cochin by flight. Lakshadweep is all about “sun, sand, sea and coral reefs”. Most of the islands are devoid of animals and birds while only ten of the islands are inhabited with a total population of 50,000 Malayalam speaking Sunni Muslims. Lakshadweep is an ideal destination for beaches, snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, deep sea fishing and sunset viewing.

Coral reefs belong to tropical marine ecosystem. They are formed by millions of coral skeletons cemented together providing the habitat for a sizable number of marine animals and plants. Lakshadweep’s coral reefs are home to sea turtles, dolphins, eagle rays, lionfish, parrotfish, octopus, barracudas and sharks. The ocean environment of Lakshadweep is a rich source of commercially important fishes, phytoplankton, zooplanktons, algae, shellfish etc. For the inhabitants, the main sources of income are fishing and coconuts. The Lakshadweep islands seem to be a place where man and nature has conspired to keep more or less the same way since creation.