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It’s an undeniable fact that Coringa and Hope Island are the natural safeguarding barriers for Our kakinada as well as other regions in East Godavari. But Did you know that Coringa is declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 5-7-1978 not only because of its fauna, but also to protect the amazing mangrove on the Godavari river basin. Coringa is widespread across sprawling 235.Sq.Kms. It is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary is situated on the backwater of Bay of Bengal Sea which are having extremely supportive conditions for mangrove plantations.
- Mangrove forest act as a barrier against the coastal storms, high velocity winds, and the high tidal waves thus protecting the villages and the agricultural land.
- Mangroves are a highly productive ecosystem, and supply nutrients to the marine living resources and thus increasing the Fish, Prawn, Crab etc., production.
- Mangroves provide shelter to the wildlife particularly as nesting ground for migratory birds.
- They protect the coast-line from erosion and also it reclaims land from the sea.
Did you know that around 120 species of bird like flamingos, ducks, Pelicans, Storks, Herons and many rare species have been seen in Coringa Wildlife sanctuary in different seasons in an year.
Coringa is famous for medicinal plantations, saltwater crocodiles. Along with them, it is more famous for the variety of reptiles, birds, some rare species like Fishing Cat popularly called ‘Neeti Pilli’ by locals, the fishing cat is just double the size of domestic cat.
Experts study proves that Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is home to almost 35 species of mangroves, 14 species of mammals, 188 species of avian fauna, more than 80 species of mangrove dependent fishes, 25 species of crabs and 14 species of mangrove associated molluscans.
“Apart from Salt water crocodiles and some birds, which are endangered species like Otter, jackals, and sea turtles are found here. October to May is the best time to visit Coringa.”
Reaching Coringa:
While there are no dedicated transport facilities connects coringa, this sanctuary is easily accessible from Kakinada, East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. Kakinada is well connected by rail and road. The sanctuary can be visited from Chollangi, Matlapalem which are located on Kakinada to Yanam Road. It is exactly about 13 Km. distance from jagannaickpur, Kakinada.
- You need to arrange your own transport to reach or by booking a cab from Kakinada.
- You can catch public transport APSRTC Buses in Kakinada-Yanam State Highway road & reach to coringa by walk.
Gallery:
Facilities:
Beautiful sanctuary, very near to Kakinada city (Approx. 13KMs). There are 2 Wooden walkways stretching several KMs across the forest along the swamp and marshy lands, Children play area, 2 Jetties for Boating, A Glass bridge, Parking space are available. It’ll be a great experience when visiting in groups / family etc.
Tourism Boost in last 3 Years:
AP state government has issued orders to Forest department to take up the development works of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary last year. As of now The sanctuary has been seeing an increasing number of visitors in the recent times, holding great potential as a tourism spot within the state. Going by the East Godavari Riverine Estuarine Ecosystem (EGR EE) Foundation, the new idea is to develop community based tourism spot without damaging the ecology, complying with the guidelines of the Union Government, that creates employment opportunities for the neighboring villages.
“New facilities such as setting up of a ‘Walk Board’ of international standards, two jetties for anchoring boats, erection of watch towers etc are almost completed and some are underway.”
Threats:
As it is easy to access from roadways and nearby villages which are being colonised, the mangroves are being exploited by the local population and some parts are being affected by the nearby Industries. A socio-economic study by the Indian Bird Conservation Network found that most of the local fishermen gets the species Avicennia officinalis, Avicennia marina are being used for fuelwood and depend heavily on the mangroves for their basic needs. A recent trend shows that there is a huge rise in transforming agricultural land into Pisciculture and also some are encroaching the forest land illegally.
Have you visited Coringa? Share your experiences, memories etc here in comments section below. For more exciting updates related to our kakinada, stay updated to KakinadaUpdates.com
Credits: Wikipedia, Internet
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