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Gujarat is one of the western states of India with the longest coast line of the country at 1,650 km. This is in part due to the presence of two gulfs i.e., the Gulf of Kachchh and the Gulf of Khambhat. The Gulf of Kachchh covers an area of 7350 km2 and consists of shallow intertidal zones and a chain of islands. It is one of the richest marine habitats in the subcontinent and has high seaweed diversity.
The book documents the macroscopic marine algae recorded during the winter seasons of 2013-2015 under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. The study covered a total of 23 intertidal areas along the Gulf of Kachchh which were surveyed on foot using random sampling technique. A total of 151 species of seaweeds belonging to 80 genera and 44 families have been recorded. Among all the species, the phylum Rhodophyta contributed the highest number (50%) followed by Chlorophyta (29%) and Ochrophyta (21%). The book includes the profile for the identification of the seaweeds, taxonomic details, photographs of species, habitats, seasonality, geographical distribution all over the world as well as in the Gulf of Kachchh. The ecological role and economic importance of seaweeds are also highlighted along with references. Overall, this book gives a comprehensive picture of the seaweed flora of the Gulf of Kachchh that will be of interest to researchers, academics, managers, foresters, policy makers and naturalist etc. for the successful planning of conservation, protection and management of marine macroalgal diversity.
