The ‘India Ecosystems Watch’ aims to revolutionise conservation efforts in India through a comprehensive platform that democratises access to vital information on wildlife and natural ecosystems. The platform consolidates data from Protected Natural Ecosystems (PNEs), including Protected Areas (PAs), Ramsar wetlands, and the like. It integrates scientific and regulatory information, enhancing decision-making for policymakers and conservationists. Key features include digital mapping of PNEs compatible with platforms like Google Earth, and comprehensive species data sourced from original government records and crowdsourcing. Advanced filters enable dynamic metadata exploration, facilitating insights into habitat connectivity, species composition, and regulatory decisions. The platform will operate under an open-source model, ensuring transparency and community engagement. Stakeholders, including conservation NGOs, academic institutions, and local communities, are expected to participate through collaborative partnerships and data contributions. Outreach efforts, including workshops, meetings, and collaborations, will maximise impact and foster informed conservation practices and better protection of their habitat.
The proposed project aims to conserve common pasturelands (grasslands) by eradicating invasive species like Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora, promote drought-resistant native multi-purpose plant species through a silvopastoral system (grass, shrubs, and trees), and develop the community systems to harvest endangered medicinal species like Commiphorawightii and Boswellia serrata sustainably. The introduction of a silvopastoral system will safeguard these species, mitigate climate risks for tribal communities, and preserve the ecosystem of common pastures. The activities will include baseline studies, land development, plantation of native species, bio-fencing, biological control of invasive plants, and community capacity building. The expected outcomes are the establishment of a community-based protection management system for conserved areas, increased tree cover of endangered species, improved community knowledge of harvesting practices and reduced prevalence of invasive species. The longer impacts will be sustained biodiversity and livelihoods of livestock keepers.
The critically endangered Bugun Liocichla is a “point endemic” species that is found in a single locality in Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the rarest birds in the world, with only 14 to 20 known individuals. Although much of its global range (~3 sq km) is under formal protection, the emergence of severe, frequent climate change-related weather events and novel infectious diseases makes only habitat protection an unviable conservation strategy in the medium to long term. There is an urgent need for formulating one/more conservation approaches for this species, including understanding the number of individuals needed to maintain the stability of population viability, creating in-situ or ex-situ reserve populations and a plan for rescue in case of extreme events. This project aims to assess the population dynamics and population genomics of the Bugun Liocichla to establish current and historical effective population sizes. It will assess whether there are genetic constraints against translocating this species to new locations to create reserve populations. It will model the demographic parameters needed to sustain populations of such small sizes and the environmental stochasticity that can be tolerated by such species. This information will be used to tailor effective conservation initiatives.
IFHD aims to restore 1000 hectares of mangrove forests on the West Coast of India. So far, 175 hectares have been restored in Uttara Kannada, with another 150 hectares underway. The next phase targets expansion to other parts of the Western Ghats, with Goa being the immediate focus. This project will restore mangrove habitats along river estuaries in Assozium, Goa, through planting mangrove saplings, implementing sustainable management practices, and monitoring ecosystem health. Local communities, stakeholders, and village leaders will be engaged throughout the process. Training programs for residents will cover mangrove conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and climate resilience. Additionally, the project will explore alternative livelihood options for those dependent on the mangrove ecosystem. The expected outcomes include enhanced biodiversity, improved ecosystem services, and increased climate resilience for local communities.
While the Ganges River Dolphin is categorised as Endangered on IUCN Red List and included in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, no detailed studies exist on them in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system since 2010. Their survival in this river system is also threatened by accidental killing through entanglement in fishing gear; deliberate killing, generally for dolphin oil; and overexploitation of prey, mainly due to the widespread use of non-selective fishing gear. For their conservation, NEWS has an action plan. They aim to update the population status and map the current distribution of the Ganges River Dolphin and associated faunas like gharial, Smooth- coated Otter, softshell turtle and fishes in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly riverine system. Additionally, they will engage local communities through training and promote sustainable fishing gears to mitigate inadvertent killing of dolphins as bycatch. A Dolphin Conservation Network will also be formed for all stakeholders to interact, and local youths will be trained as stewards for regular monitoring and to generate alternative livelihood means via ecotourism.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are known for their marine diversity, but they are also home to numerous karst land caves – which are not included in the global karst land map. Caves are the most significant landforms in karst lands and have been silent witnesses of Earth’s evolution and the rise of human civilizations. Caves have retained and protected important pieces of Earth’s long and tumultuous geological past. These range from ancient mineral deposits, long-gone oceans and early life forms to unique cave-adapted organisms, extinct megafauna remains and the early manifestation of human art.
For over two decades, it is known that there are close to 400 limestone karstic caves in around 23 islands here. Of these, around 200 caves are protected to save the Edible-nest Swiftlet breeding inside them. These unique limestone caves in the karst lands hold terrestrial and aquatic microhabitats bearing several known and unknown species, and are under tremendous anthropogenic pressure. Also, as caves and other karst geo-forms are very attractive geo-tourism sites, it is essential to have guidelines for their sustainable use as these tropical islands, with harsh climatic conditions, have limited natural resources for economic development.
SACON proposes a sustainable approach for the comprehensive management of cave habitats. The current proposal attempts to understand sustainable strategies for the conservation of the cave habitats at three sites in North and Middle Andaman Islands: Baratang Island, Chalis-ek, and the Interview Island Wildlife Sanctuary of Middle Andaman. These caves are known to bear endemic and threatened fauna (including Andaman Horseshoe Bat and the recently discovered Ravi Sankaran’s Rock Shrimp).
For the same, SACON aims to collect, process and evaluate the data required for preparing the cave conservation plan. They will also identify the constraints, threats, and opportunities for conserving the caves and the surrounding karst areas. Lastly, they will prepare the conservation plan for the select caves and surrounding karst lands. This will be done with a participatory approach with the local communities and will also generate livelihood.
