India is one of the 17 mega biodiversity countries in the world. However, taxonomic inventory of India biota is far from complete. The goal of this publication is to identify and describe the mangrove plant species of India. Towards this objectives, the taxonomical identity and distribution of mangrove species found in the country is revised and described.

During field investigations, each species of mangrove and associated plants were identified and sampled. Description and high-resolution image material for each species is provided, which allows easy identification of individual species. This information is needed for coastal management planning and policy development, especially in relation to shoreline rehabilitation and expansion of appropriate shoreline livelihood projects in the face of climate change and sea level rise.

Furthermore, global distribution of each mangrove species and its conservation status is provided. Voucher specimens of all the mangrove species reported in the text have been deposited at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (LWG) as well in Annamalai University and regional centres of Botanical Survey of India as reference collections for the country.

P. Ragavan: is a National Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

T. S. Rana: is presently working as a Chief Scientist, Area Coordinator & Head in Plant Diversity, Systematics and Herbarium Division at CSIR-National Botanical Research institute, Lucknow, Uttar, India

P.M. Mohan: is Professor of Marine Biology at Pondicherry University. K. Ravichandran: is the Chief Conservator of Forests in the Department of Environment and Forests, Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, India

K. Kathiresan: has spent practically most of his career on mangroves. He is Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Marine Biology and is currently an honorary professor in Annamalai University, Tamil NAdu, India

Alok Saxena: is retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Andaman & Nicobar Administration. Currently working as Senior Consultant at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand,India.

R.S.C. Jayaraj: is presently the Director of Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam, India

T. Mageswaran: is working as a scientist in the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Tamil Nadu, India

Part-1 Mangroves An overview: Mangrove Definition, Specialization in Mangroves,  Structural diversity in Mangroves,Leaf diversity in Mangroves, Bark diversity in Mangroves, Root diversity in Mangroves, Flower diversity in Mangroves,Reproductive diversity in Mangroves Part-2 Mangrove Floristics of the World, Origin and diversification, Floristic Composition, Global Distribution Mangrove species richness in IWP,  Genetic diversity, Mangrove Forest Structure, Zonation  Part-3 Mangroves of India ,Distribution of Mangroves in India, Mangrove Floristics of India, Description of Mangrove species Part-4 State-wise Glimpses of Indian Mangroves, Part-5 Significance of Mangroves, Biodiversity, Nursery habitat, Costal Protection, Livelihood Generation, Climate Change adaption and Mitigation Carbon, Storage Potential, Bio-prospecting Part-6 Conservation and Management ,Threats, Legislative measures,Restoration and Rehabilitation, Effectiveness of existing measures, Need of the hour, Strategies needed, Future directions.