Language: English
From the preface:
"India is one of the signatories of the Convention of Biological Diversity and is therefore committed not only to the conservation but also to sustainable and equitable utilization of its genetic resources. An important step in this commitment is the cataloging and monitoring of its own biodiversity and biological resources. This book is a contribution to that important step.
Coastal ecosystems command the world's highest importance by virtue of their biological productivity, specialized adaptive capacity of the biodiversity, complexity in the ecological processes and importance of resources. And this was the reason we conducted a thorough survey of the fauna in the Odisha coastal belt. When we started working on this book, we had an idea of the vastness and multiplicity of the biodiversity around us. However, a thorough appreciation of the uniqueness and individuality of the species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals came only after we started documenting them. That is why it was important for us to put this appreciation on paper and share it with you.
We hope that this book can serve as a good reference tool for students, academicians and conservationists, who are looking at working in the coastal ecosystems of the Ganjam coast. For the student, this book is a ready reckoner to the biodiversity of this area. For the academician, it opens the door to a variety of species on which research is limited or non-existent. And for the conservationist, it offers an understanding of the numbers and complexity of the various species, which can help them make informed decisions of conservation activities."