Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is a national park in India, near Wandoor on the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
History The park was created on 24 May 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area. It was placed under the protection of the Chief Wildlife Warden of the forest department of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The open creeks running through the park area were a special attraction.
Gallery
Geography The park is located about 20 km southwest of Port Blair, in the marine area west of the islands of South Andaman and Rutland. There are two major island groups in the park: the Labyrinth Islands and the Twin Islands.
The marine park covers 281.5 km2 made up of 17 islands and the sea channels running through the area. There are ecotourism businesses operating to the islands of Jolly Buoy and Red Skin.Jolly Buoy Island, More information, Reaching there, and boat schedulesRed Skin Island
Ecosystems of the islands Most of the coral reefs in the park are fringing reefs. The type and composition of vegetation varies from island to island. Most notably there you can see a difference between the tourist islands which suffer more anthropocentric change and others which do not. There are also some islands more isolated or protected from the effects of weather in the Bay of Bengal. Tarmugli, the largest island, is covered with thick mangrove vegetation, sand covered beaches, uprooted trees and sheet rocks.Tarmugli Twin Islands are an important breeding ground for turtles within the park.
List of islands
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park has some 20 islands and rocks, with a total land area of . The islands are uninhabited.
NameLocationArea(hectares)Coastline (km)Length (km)Width (km)elevation (m)1Alexandra Island408.89.32.52.002Bell Island6.710.380.213Boat Island247.67.712.71.327.004Chester Island6.61.000.330.335Grub Island2.30.70.130.2524.006Hobday Island367.8010.503.231.917Jolly Buoy Island18.802.501.100.2045.008Malay Island80.204.251.710.6168.009Pluto Island13.31.810.750.2249.0010Red Skin Island428.2012.394.91.446.0011Riflemen Island2.400.700.270.150.0012Snob Island17.652.180.960.2675.0013Tarmugli Island1216.7020.005.53.878.0014West Twin Island38.70 48.0015East Twin Island20.00 44.0016North Hobday Island17.801.93 17Rutland Island
Administration Politically, all islands are part of Port Blair Taluk.
References
External links
Information about Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park 11 Status of Coral Reefs of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor, Andamans by K Dorairaj and R. Soundararajan