This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides; hence, the mangrove forest gets flooded at least twice per day.

The intricate root system of the mangrove also makes the forest attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.

During low tide, some of the areas are exposed (elevated mud flats) having small fishes, shrimps and mollusks.

The sanctuary has an 18-km long sand pit where olive ridley sea turtles nest from January to March every year.

As it is easy to access and in close vicinity to the port town of Kakinada and nearby villages, which are largely inhabited, the mangroves are being exploited by the local population.

A socio-economic study by the Indian Bird Conservation Network[1] found that most of the local fishermen harvest wood in the forest and depend heavily on the mangroves for their basic needs.

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has taken steps to ensure conservation of otters and for afforestation of mangroves in the sanctuary.