size. However, with the growing industry inside the Gulf of Kutch coral reefs are once again declining. Mangroves are less protected than coral reefs as only 140 km^2 is under MNPS control out of 665.9 km^2. Between 1960 and 1980 mangroves suffered severe destruction regardless of the MNPS. This destruction is credited to mass industry building that consequently decreased the amount of freshwater available to the mangroves. As a result some mangrove species became endangered such as Rhizophora and Ceriops while at least one went extinct. While recently mangrove cover has increased it mostly attributed to districts Jamnagar and Kutch. Tourism With the introduction of MNPS parts of the environment have been restored promoting tourism around and on the islands. This has also resulted in policy change around these areas. Pirotan island in 1994 was planned to be classified under the maximum protection level wherein only scientific research and environmental assistants could enter. This was formulated as a part of the 1994 management plan. However, with a growing number of tourists each year the plan was never implemented and between 2006 and 2007 seven thousand tourists entered the island. Both tourism and educational programs are managed by the Gujarat Ecological Education Research Foundation (GEER). Vessel Traffic Service In 2012, the vessel traffic service (VTS-GOK) was opened in the Gulf of Kutch. The project was the join initiative of the Kandla Port Trust, Gujarat Maritime Board and the Directorate General of Lighthouses And Lightships of India. It is one of the largest VTS system in the world covering water area of . It extends from Koteshwar to Okha, about 800 km. It cost . It has nine radars, three repeater stations and six port monitoring stations. Two additional monitoring stations of the Indian Coast Guard at Jakhau and Okha and one station of Indian Navy at Okha is also integrated in the system. The master control centre is located in Kandla. See also Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch Coral reefs in India Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary References Landforms of Gujarat Kutch Kutch Underwater diving sites in India