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Q75 (IAS/2011) Environment & Ecology › Ecology & Ecosystem Basics › Mangrove ecosystems Answer Verified

The 2004 Tsunami made people realize that mangroves can serve as a reliable safety hedge against coastal calamities. How do mangroves function as a safety hedge?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: D
Explanation

Mangroves function as a safety hedge primarily due to their complex physical structure. Their extensive aerial root systems, including prop roots and pneumatophores, stabilize coastal shores and impede water flow [2]. These dense root networks and branches act as a physical barrier that attenuates wave energy, reduces wave height, and slows down water velocity during tsunamis and storm surges [1]. Unlike other vegetation, mangroves are specifically adapted to withstand high-energy tides and storms without being easily uprooted, provided the forest is sufficiently wide. While they do provide food and medicine [4], their primary role as a 'safety hedge' or 'green shield' against coastal calamities is their ability to absorb and dissipate the destructive force of waves through their specialized root systems and dense vegetation [3].

Sources

  1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 4: Aquatic Ecosystem > 4.8.2. Role of mangroves > p. 48
  2. [2] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > Bars, Barriers and Spits > p. 59
  3. [4] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Social and Ecological Significance of Mangroves > p. 53
  4. [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > MANGROVES > p. 52
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 1996 · Q49 Relevance score: -1.14

Assertion (A) : Mangroves are very specialised forest ecosystems of tropical and subtropical regions bordering certain sea coasts. Reason (R) : They stabilise the shoreline and act as bulwark against encroachments by sea. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

CDS-I · 2012 · Q70 Relevance score: -1.32

Which one among the follow- ing is not correct regarding Tsunami ?

CAPF · 2018 · Q38 Relevance score: -1.61

Which of the following statements are appropriate to Mangrove Sites? 1. Mangrove plants require appropriate mix of saline water and freshwater, 2. Mangrove plants require mudflats to enable it to grow and develop. 3. Mangrove plants are found in the inter-tidal zones of sheltered coasts. 4. Mangrove vegetation has been reported in all the coastal States including Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Select the correct answer using the code given below,

CDS-II · 2012 · Q5 Relevance score: -2.10

Statement I : Tsunami is small in open ocean yet may be over 30 m high when it reaches a coastline. Statement II : Tsunamis have long wavelength and they travel across the open ocean at high speed. As they approach shore, the wavelength decreases and the wave height increases.

CDS-II · 2014 · Q89 Relevance score: -2.28

Statement I : A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of water of an Ocean. Statement I : A tsunami can be generated when thrust faults associated with convergent or destructive plate boundaries move abruptly.