Intertidal Diversity around Saurashtra Coastline

Biodiversity encompasses the variety of all life on earth. India has rich Biological diversity and one of the 12 diverse countries of the world. With only 2.5% of land area, India accounts for 7.8% of the recorded species at global level. India is also rich in traditional and indigenous knowledge both coded as well as informal. The Indian coastline supports almost 30 % of its human population being dependent on the rich exploitable coastal and marine resources. Among the eight maritime state of India, Gujarat, situated on the western coast of India, has longest coastline about 1650 km long shoreGujarat state has three distinct geographical regions such as Peninsular Saurashtra, desert marshy Kutch and the Mainland of south, Central and North Gujarat. There are two extensive gulfs; Gulf of Khambhat and Gulf of Kutch. The main aim of the study was to prepare a checklist as well as comparative database of the intertidal organisms. Moreover evaluate the present ecological status of intertidal organisms around the coastal area of the Sutrapada coast, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat.