CHAPTER III :

CLIMATE, NATURAL VEGETATION:TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT

Climate:

Man has been dependant upon his natural environment , particularly on

the environmental processes t hat we call as 'Weather and climate'.

Since the dawn of history , the mankind have constantly thought to

aquire knowlwdge of these processes and to apply such knowledge to

safe guard and improve upon the quality of life on this earth . Broad­

ly speaking , climatic fluctuations exert their influence in variou

spheres of life like agriculture ,hydrological resources and quality o

life in both urban and rural areas.

Climate is an important component of Little Andaman's environment set

in a Tropical i.e. megathermal conditions being largely influenced

the proximity to the equator. It has direct impact on development of

not only on agritulture and settlement growth but also on occurrences

of soil formation,soil erosion and growth of natural vegetation, as

well as the total geomorphological setting of this area.In the Anda­

man & Nicobar islands including Little Andaman agritultural activitie

specially plantation agriculture depend largely on annual rainfal

and temperature conditions.Two irrigational project namely Krishnanal

lah and Vishnunallah (under construction 1994) has not yet proved

adequate in the matter of water supply specially during dry months.

Therefore a comprehensive knowledge of climatological

specially agro-meteorological situations controlling the progress c

Pg. 22
 DAILY MAXIMUM ANJ> MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
(l_t-fctle Andaman}

Fig Mo- 3-1

agriculture along the eastern part of the island is proved to be

essential. Practically , because this will definitely help the local

settlers to fulfill the attempt of bringing self sufficiency particu

larly in production of food crops thus minimising the degree of

dependency on supply from outside (import) , the mainland via Port

Blair.In a general way , climate of the island has been controlle

primarily by its location in the Bay of Bengal and nearness to the

equator . These are reflected in the occurrences of subtropical - hot

humid conditions and 'maritime types ' of climate prevailing in th

study area, as well as its surroundings. (Fig .3.1 ).

Here , the condition of temperature remains almost uniform , through­

out the year mainly due to its maritime effects. Actually the climato-
o
logical records indicates that the temperature varies between 21 to
o
30 C in a year . Without having no perceptable difference.. Naturally

, the coastal tracts are found to be devoid of the occurences of

remarkable changes in the temperature fluctuations in respect of the

interior locations in the Little Andaman Islands (Fig . 3.2 )

Yet a little difference in the distribution of rainfall fas been note

during the winter seasons including the months of January to

April,which may be considered as dry season.

o
Actually January is the coolest month (20 C), and April is the
o
hottest month (34 C).Rainfall in a year , occurs here from both South-

West and North-East monsoon, and Equatorial type occurs (convec-

tional wind systems ) prevails over the region during May to December.

Whereas April-May is the season for cyclonic weather and near

Pg. 23
 AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL
CURVE, HUT BAY (Rfefe-iw.) i

Fio. 3.
Duncan Passage(in the northern tip of the island),the weather become

rough and furious over the sea and adjacent land sectors.

Actually September ,October ,November and even December -these four

months are also subject to cyclonic disturbances .From recalling the

memories of native 'Onge' tribal people , and evidences of several

large uprooted tree trunks along the eastern coast, as witnessed

during my field work one can easily assume the ravages of cyclonic

storm originating from North East system. Most of the cyclonic

storms and local severe storms are found to have occured during the

month of November (Danda & Mukherjee - 1990). Such climatic and

'related information have been procured from the observatory

situated in the eastern part of the island . Whereas the Western part

lacks any information or data on the ravages of cyclones along the

western coast tracts which are largely cyclone-prone and liable to be

affected considerably by the series of natural disasters - cyclonic

storms and rough or rather furious conditions of sea.

Mention may be made of the 1968 landuse map (Survey of India) which

shows the location of some 'Onge' huts along the Western Coastal

tracts.Afterwards, mainly on account of the occurences of a series of

cyclonic storms , loss of live and huts they had shifted from West

coast to the Eastern part and - the fact has also been supported

by the present settlers .

By virtue of its location the Andaman Group of islands inclusive of

the Little Andaman island has been experiencing subtropical hot-humid

Pg. 24
 T

CUMOGRAPHS

1. Usually uncomfortable
/
Wet: B u lb T em p eratu re

2. Ofienu
3-Sometimes UneomfortabU.

4 Very Rarely uncomfortable

5 Meat

6- Rarely

IKr-DEx

Litt.l«Andam«-nCHUTa*yJ ... _ _ _

Calcutta...................................... ......

{
'■
■
/
condition which tend to be little moderate primarily due to the

presence of marine influence exerting both from Bay of Bengal &

Andaman seas. It is important to note that copious amount of rainfall

is received by the Little Andaman islands in association with the

passage of pulse over the entire region.

Any pulse (remnants of Pacific cyclones or typhoons ) moving towards

further south and west over the -Bay of Bengal and even nearby

Indian Ocean are found to have gained sufficient kinetic energy while

traveling over the moist sea surfaces and intensifieds again into

afurious cyclone or depressions in the region .

The dates of Onset of SW monsoon in Port Blair and Hut Bay

are the 20 th May and 21st May respectively - IMD reports

( Godler 1997 ) , while the date of onset of monsoon in the

Nicobar group of islands in around 15th May.

The island lies in the passage of full sweep of both North-East and

South-West monsoons .

As mentioned earlier , the weather and climatic conditions are the

the most important determinants of crop production and stability

situation in the island.

It becomes evident that the proximity to the equator imparts a con­

stant moderate to high

temperature which marches throughout the
o
year with a low diurnal range (5 C), whereas at Hut Bay the mean
o
maximum temperature is recorded as 25 C . In this connection mention

should be made of the mean monthly relative humidity curve which

------------------------- Pg. 25
NORMAL RAINFALL IN MM

MONTH RAINFALL IN MM

JAN 28.9

FEB 26.3
MAR
APR 71.2
MAY 362.5
JUN 589.5
JULY 435.5

AU6 435.9
SEP 516.2
OCT 329.2
MOV 205.4
DEC 157.4

TOTAL 3180.5
 COMPARISON OF RAINFALL BETWEEN HUTBAY ( LI TT1.E ANDAMAN)
AND PORT BLAIR IN NOVEMBER'97

SL . NO HUT BAY PORT BLAIR

1 41.0 0.7
2 NIL TRACE
3 NIL 0.4
4 NIL 1 .5
5 1.1 20.1
6 NIL 75. B
7 49.0 17.3
B NIL 8.1
9 31.0 30.6
10 7.0 NIL
1 1 38.0 7.0
12 15.0 12.7
13 21 .2 MIL
14 9.0 7.6
15 1 .2 31.8
16 NIL 7.5
17 NIL MIL
IB NIL NIL
19 NIL '■?' r?
20 4.0 15.3
21 23.1
22 NIL 10.7
23 19.0 41.3
24 4 .0 NIL
25 NIL NIL
26 NIL MIL
27 NIL NIL
2B NIL NIL
29 NIL NIL
30 NIL NIL

iiourcl? : IMD Calcutta

Recorded temperature at Duapna Creek Little Andaman

MONTH 8s YEAR MEAN MEAN MEAN MEAN DAILY

MAXIMUM MINIMUM MONTHLY RANGE

JAN. 1986 29.50 26.90 28.25 2.56

FEB. 1986 30.28 25.74 27.04 3.87

MAR .1986 31.20 27.00 27.61 4.10

AUG. 1988 27.80 26.20 26.80 1.77

SEP. 1988 26.80 26.75 26.05 1.61

Source s Danda and Mukherejee 1990

13
 COMPARISON OF WIND SPEED AT PORT BLAIR & HUT BAY

TABLE :

Station Port Blair(Normal) Hut Bay

JAN 5.74 5.35

FEB 5.14 5.20

MAR 5.16 5.10

APR 5.62 5.60

MAY 8.86 6.50

JUN 20.7 4.5

JUL 15.0 4.20

AUG 19.3 4.80

SEP 11 .8 4.50

OCT 7.76 5.35

NOV 7.16 5. 12

DEC 7.78 7.20

reaches its peak during the period of South -West monsoon months

(from June to October) ,when its percentage ranges between 80 to

90.But it is interesting to note that the humidity never falls below

60% indicating the prevalance of a fairly high humid condition in th

island.

Generally, a year is divided into three main seasons depending on

the prevailing climatic conditions in the region , and these seasons

are as follows:

1) The Wet Monsoon or The South West Monsoon season:

The longest and most prominent season in the Little Andaman

island starts from the middle of May with a sudden rise in

humidity as well as rainfall.The strong South-West & Westerly

winds blow continuously increasing heat along the Western coast.As

the observatory of Little Andaman island situated on the east coast

,therefore it becomes difficult to have any authentic record of

the wind speed and ravages of cyclonic storm occuring in the west

coast. It is interesting enough to note that

according to the normal annual rainfall records (published

in 1984),the Hut bay station of Little Andaman receives the

highest amount of rainfall within the Andaman & Nicobar islands(IMD

1984) .Moreover the station is not well exposed to the normal passage

of wind because of the existence of high wall of the dense tropical

forest thrived just 200 mts away in the western side .Though annual

Pg. 26
 HYTHERGRAPH
(Hut Bay.)

&..-
“ C,
*

< ____ a
J
<t>

F J D 0 J A S
S
'Tm m jbm r-af-ufe

TOO H OT
8

------- r-

c QMF OUT
5

if —TOO WET
A F * A ME
•too

TOO COLD

50 100 150 200 2-50 500 3 SO 40o -JS6 500 SSO 60 o

Rainfall in »•*

Fig. NO- 3-If

total rainfall (for sixteen years ,1970-1986) show moderately hig

percentage of variability, with the value of coefficient

variability(c.v.-12%) .

2) Cool dry months or The North -East monsoon :

The season starts with gradual withdrawal of South-West mon

soon leading to a complete reversal of prevailing wind direction. Thus

at the end of October or early - November, the North-East

monsoon currents establish in the island . Though the island

receives maximum rainfall in the months of June & July ,similar to

other islands ,but in November and December the retreating monsoon

winds also provide a fair amount of rainfall almost similar to a few

places in the nearby Nicobar group of islands ( Fig 3.3).

3) The dry hot months or Dry seasons ;

The four months ,January ,February,March,and April the Little Anda­

man islands mostly remain dry with only around 50 mm (mean monthly)
o
rainfall, and a rising mean maximum temperature of 32 C. The minimum
o
temperature of 25 is recorded in the month of January (Table 3.2 )

As the climate of the island is generally of tropical warm humid

type,the soil moisture deficit is observed for a short period during

January to April and the moisture availability for crop growth is more

than 265 days which is adequate for most of the field crops and

plantation crops.But for self sufficiency specially in food crop

during dry months two irrigation projects had already been launched in

the island Natural vegetation of The Little Andaman Island primarily

comprises of various types of forests which is the result of

Pg. 27
Montlmise General Wheather Condition Around Andaman Islands

MONTI-1 GENERAL WIND RAINFALL SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE

DIRECTION CONDITION

JAN N & NE Trace Mostly calm Fairly cool

FEB N &. NE Few showers -do- . Cool with

and dew Strong Sun

MAR N &. NE Trace Calm Warm day ?<

Cool Night

AF-'R N & NE Heavy if Calm to Rough Very hot

Changing, early monsoon Sultry

MAY SW & W Heavy Quite rough Pleasant cool

JUN SW & W Squall Incessant -do- —do —

JUL -do- —do— -do- do

AUG -do- —do— —do— Fair1y Cool

SEP —do— Heavy —do— —do-

OCT SW & W Changing Infrequent Rough to calm —do—

NOV NE Changing Occasional Gets Rough Fairly Cool

DEC N & NE —do- Rough -do-

Based on Nigam (1963) and lieteorogical Statistics(1984)

integrated effect of ecological factors,viz. Climate,Topography,soi

and past history and treatment .

The combined effect of these factors is reflected in temperature

and soil moisture which are determinants of the flora and

vegetation .

It may be mentioned that the natural vegetation in India has been

classified mainly with reference to climate.Edaphic formations,primar

and secondary serai types and different stages of degradation result­

ing from sustained biotic disturbance have also been recognized with

reference to the major climax types.

As a medium which sustains all plant life,the soil is another importan'

factor which has a decided influence on the character of forest

vegetation and on the origin , distribution and stability of various

forest products.

The Archipelago of Andaman & Nicobar is situated in the tropical belt ’

approximating the equatorial tempered and weathered by oceanic

surrounding and receives rainfall from both South-West and North-East

monsoon and an average relative humidity of 79 %.

Naturally the vegetation is Tropical rainforest.Due to prolonged

isolation from other world ,The Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as

the Little Andaman Islands enjoys a unique position in the biosphere

as the Island possesses typical species of flora and fauna of Mayan-

mar,Indonesia,and Malaysia rather than the Indian counterpart.The

insular nature of this territory causing physical isolation between

Pg. 28
 • K ■, . ' '* X * ' ’

qz* 30'

VEGETATION MAP
INDEX
(_ Little Andaman)
vm ****w«r
fgn 0\\AO,rr^j
I Q-/[ gtiHewenl-with fcr»J*UU-««l

r5~1o^ seHl*-«««l-
|c—g^RoOid

10
10’
~s'

INbEX

1 ill -Top evcrgwn

[ |Tropical evtrgreen
I 1 G,i<Xnk evargrcevi
j ) S«rrM- evcK-opCM-n
1 1 waist *J«e\<ivious
[ | Wangvove f»r*st
1 Wtto-ral j-orcst
[ ■ • * ] Q a, rr\ o o br5 kts
ly,< j carve
|;r^'I Radi Patm oil Plantation
l>,(>it] cagonu.b Pl«ntat-lov\
h? 1 Spices
1 Pad-auk PlawtallOM
Natural K.geraKori
921 go'
rJ'O - ~3- S’ a.c{ V' 5 eJ--d £. H/v^&Vj
Fr3

r
group of islands and mainland through millions of years has resulted

in the evolution of a rare and distinct flora ,with endangered species

of wild plant,herbs.trees of which several are endemic.The native

tribal 'ONGE' of Little Andaman Island use several forest plants,tuber

etc. in their daily life , food and medicine.

The botanical exploration of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands still

remains rather, insufficiently known . Earlier exploration were confine

to few approachable areas .

Recently with the intensive exploration by The Botanical Survey of

India the virgin forests are becoming better known botanically.

The earlier botanical studies in these Islands date back to the year

1791 when Colonel Kyd,founder of the Calcutta Botanic Garden made

collection and introduced several plants to the Calcutta Botanic

Garden.After his visit several botanists and forest officers like

Helfer,S.Kurz,D.Prain,G.King,C.G. Rogers, C.E.Parkinson made exten

studies on the flora of these islands and collected valuable materials

which are still preserved in Calcutta and several European botanical

institutes.

Among the recent mention may be made B.S.Bangarappa and K.C.Sahani of

Indian Forest Service and K. Srinivasan , K.Thothathri,N.P.Balakrishn

and Vasudeva Rao of B.S.I.

The classification of natural vegetation of the study area has been

exhaustively carried out by Champion and Seth.This is well defined

classification of flora in general .N.P.Balakrishijan of B.S.I.(1

also classified the natural vegetation of Little Andaman Island.

Pg. 29
As the forest is one of the main branch of ecosystems prevails in

the island,mention can be made on forest ecosystem and its functions

in general.

Forest Ecosystem

The forest ecosystems have protective,regulative and productive

functions

1) Protective Function:

a) Soil protection by absorption and deflecting of radiation,

precipitation and wind.

b) Conservation of humidity and carbondioxide by decreasing wind

velocity.

c) Sheltering and providing required conditions for plant and

animal species.

2) Regulative Function :

a) Absorption , storage, and release of carbon di oxide,'oxygen and

mineral elements

b) Absorption of aerosis and sound

c) Absorption and transformation of radiant and thermal energy

Pg. 3 0
3) Productive Functions:

a) Efficient storage of energy in utilizable form in

photo-and-zoo-mass.

b) Self regulating regenerative processes of wood,bark,fruit,and

leaf production.

^Production of chemical compounds like resins ,alkaloids,essen

tial oils,latex,pharmaceuticals,etc.

Generalizing them ,we come to the conclusion that under dense

forests,surface flow is negligible and seepage is quick.Temporary

or permanent exposure of the soil surface leads to degradational

processes. The prevalent ecosystems in these islands are in a deli­

cate and fragile state where any disturbance may cause irreparable

and irretrievable changes in it.Branwell (Plants & Islands p.8,1979)

says that the ecosystems of many small islands because of the

presence of population and the demands of modern society ,are in

even great danger than tropical forests.

These are the diversities in the environmental gradients.

Selection towards a distinctive niche and a distinctive habitat

preference will normally occur at the same time ,for niche &

habitat are closely related aspects of the species 'total

adaptation ' to environment(R.H.Whittakar,Communities and Ecosys

terns,p 117,1975).The tropical forests is characterized by florist

heterogeneity with species represented by a fairly large number of

individuals. However ,there also exists species with only a very

Pg. 31
 t
TABLE 6 ?'

Classification of the Andaman Forests

(Champion and Seth, 196L)
Representative tree species

Forest Type Scientific Name Local Name Notes

1. Tidal swamp Rhizophora mucronata At present utilized as fuel

(mangroves) Bruguiera gymnorrhiza wood for the powerhouse,
(about 1150 km2) Carapa oborata matchwood and plywood
Sonneratia acida factories. Nipa is impor­
/ Nipa fruticans tant as a roofing material.

2. Littoral forests Mimusops litoralis Bulletwood Said to be of little eco­

(beach forests) Tetrameles nudiflora Thitpok nomic importance, they
Terminalia procera Badam are cyclone buffers and
Pongamia glabra Karanj shoreline stabliizers.
Calophyllum inophyllum Poon

3. Andaman moist Pterocapus dalbergioides Padauk Provide a number of valu­

deciduous forests Terminalia bialata White chugiam able timber species. Grow
Canarium euphyllum White Dhup mainly on lower hilly
Pterocymbium tinctorium Papita ground below 100m ele­
Albizza lebbek Kokko vation.

4. Andaman semi­ Dipterocarpus alatus GUrjan Mainly confined to well

evergreen forests Pterygota alata Letkok drained valleys, containing
Albizzia chinerisis Bombeza a mix of valuable decidu­
Salmalia insignis Didu ous and evergreen timber.
Artocarpus lakoocha Lakuch

5. Bamboo brakes Oxtenanthera nigrociliata Due to the thin wall and

Bambusa schizostachyoides small size of the common
bamboo (Oxytenanathera)
it is of little commercial
importance.

6. Cane brakes Calamus palustries Cane is very important as

Calamus congisetus a construction material
and also has been used to
extinction in many areas
for tying log rafts.

7. Southern hill-top Dipterocarpus costatus Gurjan Stunted vegetation on

tropical evergregn Mesua ferrea Cangan steep slopes and subjected
forests Hopea andamanica Thingan to high winds. Of little
Canarium manii Dhup commercial value but of
Euphorbia trigona utmost value in preventing
hillside erosion.

8. Andamans Dipterocarpus grandiflorus Gurjan Multi-storeyed evergreen

tropical evergreen Artocarpus chaplasha Taungpeinne forest with numerous valu­
forests Planchonia andamanica Red Bombway able trees. Throughout the
Endospermum chinense Bakota islands as caps to the
Baccaurea sapida Khataphal lower hills and gentler
slope,s.

9. Giant evergreen Dipterocarpus alatus Gurjan This is the climax forest

' forests Dipterocarpus gracilis Gurjan formation of the Andamans.
Artocarpus gomeciana Lakooda It occurs along streams but
Amoora wallichii Laichini has been largely cleared
Pometia pinnata Thitkandu from these choice areas for
agriculture.

15
small number of individuals and sometimes known from only one speci

men Inventories of plants are required for understanding the vegeta

tion .They are no more than a first step towards a scientific analy

sis of forest ecosystem.

Gymnosperms which are rather unique in this island ecosystem are

rather unique Cycas rumphii miq. and Podocarpus nerifolia.

The former at the fringes of littoral forests,the later in the

interior of forests at higher altitudes.

Based on proximity of the sea and salinity of the soil , the

vegetation can be divided into broad two groups as suggested by

Balakrishnan(1989) - Littoral & Inland.

A) Littoral vegetation - this can be further classified as

follows:

1) Submerged vegetation

2) Mangrove forest

3) Strand vegetation

4) Tidal or swamp forest.

B) Inland vegetation- this can be classified as follows:

1) Evergreen forests.

2) Deciduous forests.

3) Grasslands.

4}Hydrophytic vegetation.

Pg. 32
 Commercial, Haro,wood & aotcwood of Lifctl.e Andaman Island

fatal Harvest of Timber at Andaman up to 22/B2/V4 =28,303*826 cum

.Total Sale of Timber as on bate 22/142/94 = 27,978.425 cum
(export close from January 1995)
Revenue Collected —Rs» 7,94,81,991«65

SL.NO. HARD WOOD BOTANICAL NAME

COMMERCIAL/LOCAL NAMES

1 Gurjan D.ipterecarpour Spp.

2 Badani Terminalia Procera

,3 , ■■ White Chug 1 urn Termirialia Bialata

4 . Town ye Peisie Artoearpus Chap1as ha

5 "• LaktJtch Artsocarpus Bomesiana

6 Tbingumt y»hi te), l-lopeo Odorata

. 7.1. . Thingum (Red ), Prunas Mar taban i. t:a

8 . .. Thingum - PaJ ane 1 i a Eheed i. i

9 Yougi ftndemanthera Pavonina

. 1(8 ■, ■ 'Red Bombwe P1 anchon.1 a Andaman!ca

11 Hill Hohuwa . Madhuca Butyraccee

. 12 . Nabbey ■ Lonnea Branddis

...13 - .. Lai .Chinni. Ammora Wallichi

i4 ■ , - Red Dhup ... Parishia Insignis

, 1.5 . Think la .... . Nauc1ea Baurgenea

..16 ■■ • .... ■ • Pyinma..... Lager at r eeati. a Hypo l enc: a

17 Black Chuglam Terminal lia Marti i

1(3 Poon Ca 1 ophy 11 uin Inophy 11 urn

19 JungIi Amm Mangifera Andamanica

. 20 .. 4 ...Chaksfasia C hukrasia Ta bu1aris

.21; Silyergrey •• . Terminalia Bilata

SL» WO E50FT WOOD BOTANICAL NAME
COMMERCIAL. NAME

1 Dichi Salmalia Insigns

2 Papita Pterecymbium Tincterium

3 White Dhup Canarium Euphyl luni

4 Bakotta Enderspermun Malaccense

5 Kadam Anthecephalus Cadamba

6 Lai Pathy 8idere>;ylon Longepetiolatum

7 T/Pock Tetrameles Oudifiora

8 Bambooza Albizzia Stipulate

9 Ailanthus Ailanthus Kurzil

Sourness FPDC,, Little Andaman

Champion & Seth (1961) have classified the Andaman & Nicobar

Forest into nine types:

1) Giant evergreen forests

2) Andaman tropical evergreen forests

3) Andaman Hill Top forests

4) Andaman semi evergreen forests

5}Andaman moist deciduous forests

6) Mangrove Tidal swamp forests

7) Littoral forests(beach forests)

8) Cane Brakes

9) Bamboo Brakes

Considering the classification of natural vegetation of the

Little Andaman Island and also the whole Andaman and Nicobar

group of islands firstly by Champion and Seth (1961) and later on

N.P.Balakrishnan(1989) the vegetational type of the island can be

described as follows:

A)INLAND VEGETATION -

Inland vegetation broadly includes

1) Evergreen forests

2) Deciduous forests

3) Grasslands

4) Hydrophytic vegetation

Pg. 33
1)Evergreen forests includes

a)Giant Andaman Evergreen - it is regarded as the climax forma

tion in the island.River valleys are almost intact\ in the

western part of the island due to inaccessibility.lt occurs along

the valley part of the island but has been largely cleared in the

eastern part of the island mainly for rehabilitation schemes.

Magnificent buttressed trees festooned with climbers and epi

phytes and sometimes interspersed with canes and bamboos,rose to

3 Om and more.

Dispterocarpus atalus the tall gurjan was common in this type of

vegetation

b) Andaman Tropical Evergreen forest is less, luxuriant than the

Giant evergreen forest with lesser height, lesser density.The top

storey is very irregular ( multi storeyed) and the canopy is not

complete.The top canopy is composed of trees like Artocarpus

Chaplasa Rox b planchonia andamanica King +.This forest grow in

between lower hilly terrain and gentler slopes.

c) Andaman Hill top Evergreen forests-

Stunted vegetation on the hill slopes and subjected to high wind

(wind resistant).

Little commercial value but prevents hillside erosion .

Dipterocarpus costatus (Gurjan is the common species.

Pg. 34
d)Andaman semi evergreen forest has deciduous and evergreen

species either mixed in isolated groups . This occurs on

immature,alluvial soil,often raised above flood level.This typ

is distributed in the main valleys of Andamans forming some of the

desert forests.Salmalia insignis (Didu) is the common species.

2) Andaman Moist Deciduous Forest occurs in shallow soil with the

capacity to hold moisture less with a sandy or yellow clayey

loam,generally on hilly ground not going beyond 100 metres from

where tropical evergreen starts.lt is studded with deciduous trees

having large girth and predominantly buttressed tree trunks and

forms a stable preclimax to tropical evergreen (Champion &

Seth,1968) . The most common deciduous tree in Andaman Island is

Pterocarpus dalbergioides (Paduak) is not found in Little anda

mans .Thinner canopy ,richer shrubby growth than evergreen due to

more sunlight penetration,yield timber of more economic value.

Terminalia bialata,(white chuglam) Pterocymbium tinctorium

(Papita) are some of the examples .The Andaman secondary moist

decidous forest is a regenerated area from a semi -evergreen

type. Depending on the work site the regenerated plants have

affinity with semi-evergreen and moist Decidous forests.

3) Mangrove forests(Tidal swamp) -The irregular and deeply indented

coastline of this island results in innumerable creeks (Dugors

creek), bays(west bay) and estuaries which facilitate the devel­

opment of rich and extensive mangrove forests.The forest generally

prefers clayey soil and areas well protected from high waves

Pg. 35
MAIOR SPECIES OF MANGROOE IN LITTLE ANDAMAN

__ Brugui’erd

RWnophora

<?&
II — Sonnera-ti^

Source: Bodevi (l79S^) F?g /vo • 3 .(£

and strong winds usually within the tidal reach.lt is the interphase

between land and marine ecosystem.They are also dependent on the

regular accretion of silt, as silt is regularly deposited by rain wate

washed down from inland forests.The most common species are Rhizopho-

ra mucronata,Bruguiera gymnorrhiza,Nipa fruticans.At present utilized

fuel wood,Nipa is important as roofing material.

4)Littoral forest- This is dense vegetation facing the open sea

and forms a narrow belt on sandy or shingle beaches.Growing

just beyond the high tide mark.The trees are sturdy and withstand

the fury of monsoons and cyclones.They are cyclone buffers and

shoreline stabilizers.This type of forests act as wind breaks

protecting the island shores.Bleached tree trunks uprooted on

secluded beaches mute evidences of tempestuous situations .

terminalia procera (Badam) is one of the common species in the

Little Andaman island.

Cane Brakes - Cane is very important as a construction material

and also has used to extinction in many areas for tying log

rafts.Presently the settlers are using it for making furnitures

like chair,table ,etc.Among the woody climbers in the tropical

evergreen forests, the commonest are Calamus palustries,Calamus

congisetus.

Pg. 36
Bamboo Brakes - Due to the thin wall and small size of the

common bamboo brakes (Oxytenanthera nigrociliata) is of little

importance.

Balakrishnan (1989) also mentioned the Littoral vegetation ,the

submerged vegetation .

Submerged Vegetation -- Marine algae found everywhere in the

island except in very muddy and steep shores.The sandy beaches

with shallow waters strewn with rocks and boulders and coral

reef further into the sea facilitate luxuriant growth of marine

algae.Enteromorpha Ulva are common genera of algae. Sea grasses

(cymodocca,Enhalus) are specially common on sandy soils in quite

waters. upto a metre or so beneath the ebb level.

Balakrishnan in his inland forest classification mentioned about

grassland and hydrophytic vegetation .

Grassland - Several distributed Reforested and denundated

hillocks in the island exhibits rich grasslands dominated by

common grass,Imperata cylindrica associated with Saccharum spon

taneum forming large population.Sometimes these grasslands are

invaded by Eupatorium Odoratum which dominates and destroys most

grass species .

Hydrophytic Vegetation - The scarcity of natural stagnant pools

,ponds, lakes,etc. results in the rather poor fresh water flora

in the island .Few ponds and paddy fields which occurred near

human habitation ,plants like Lpomoea aquatica,Nymphaea nouchali

(Water lily) and algae like chara etc. are commonly seen.

Pg. 37
Endemic and Threatened Plants

The present state of knowledge on the flora of the Andaman is

lands indicate that there are about 144 species endemic.This

works out to about 10 % of the flora .The exploration of the

Little Andaman is until now very much limited .Further intensive

and extensive explorations in underexplored and unexplored

forest areas will definitely add more new species to list ,spe

cially the western part of the island should be explored exten

sively.Perhaps some of the rare plants have already become ex

tinct due to the destruction of the forests for forestry opera

tion, illegal encroachment and rehabilitation programmes.

The extreme competition for space and sunlight in a tropical

evergreen forest limits the distribution of most species and they

can only survive in very small population in limited areas.These

makes them extremely vulnerable to extinction .Many of these

species needs careful protection and preservation for further

research as they can be used as potential germplasm or medicinal

or economically useful plants.

SOME ENDEMIC PLANTS OF LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

1) Malaxis Andamanika(King & Plant) Balakr & vasudevan

2) Malleola andamanica - Balakr &Bhargava -Epiphytic herbs:

rare & threatened

3) Pteroceras muriculatum- (Reichb.f.) Hunt :Epiphytic herb

Pg. 38
4) Vanilla Andamanica Rolfe: climbing herb with beutiful

large flowers

ANNONACEAE

5) 0rphaea katschallia Kurz : Tree

6) Polyalthia parkinsonii Hutch : Tree

DILLENIACEAE

7) Dillenia Andamanica Parkins : Tree

RANUNCULACEAE

8)Clematis smilacifolia Wall ssp: andamanica Kapoor climber

Fauna:

Ecological set up of Andaman & Nicobar is very much favourable to

support a rich and varied fauna;This paucity of mammalian species

therefore is explained on presumption bu Miller in 1902 that these

islands were isolated at such time when mammals , now characteristic

of Malaya region ( as the fauna shows general affinity with Indo-

Chinese & Indo-Malayan subregion ) did not exist. These islands being

surrounded by great depths of water prevented subsequent migration

of these mammals into this region.

The largest native land mammal is the Andaman pig (Sus Serofa'' anda­

manica) . Several native birds are there . Some of them are endemic .

Dolphins and Dugongs , turtle , crocodile, etc. are some of the

marine animals of which Dugongs are almost extinct. Onge vocabulary

provides names of several animals which are now extinct.

Pg. 3 9