Browsing by Author "Pande, A."

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    Spatial mapping of important marine habitats of Malvan Coast for re-organization of boundary of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2023) Shinde, N.; Bayana, S.; Sarkar, D.; Pande, A.; Sivakumar, K.; Talukdar, Gautam
    Malvan Marine Sanctuary is a Marine Protected Area located in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra state. Known for its rich biodiversity, it is grappling with increasing anthropogenic pressure necessitating a comprehensive study to assess its habitats and threats. Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 2017-2018 team had suggested for boundary reorganization to exclude areas of human intervention and to include important habitats and areas with high biodiversity for the better management of biodiversity off the coast of Malvan. The project has undertaken because high tourism zone are areas with high anthropogenic pressure within the core zone of the sanctuary. Coral reefs and its associated fish fauna were surveyed at nine sampling sites. The total hard coral cover was observed to be 28% while the seagrass cover was observed to be 3% in 21 sampling sites. 19 genera of corals were identified. Favites sp.was observed to be the most abundant (19.18%). Within the sanctuary, Seagrass patches were identified at five sampling sites namely King’s Garden 1, King’s Garden 2, King’s Garden 3, Dharan and Donor site. 122 species of fish belonging to 38 families were observed during underwater surveys. Fish-market surveys were conducted to study the species composition and size-class of fish species caught around the sanctuary. A total of 44 different fish species were observed during market surveys. Beach litter surveys were conducted to assess the anthropogenic stress along the Malvan coastline. Debris in the form of polythene was the major contributing litter type at all three sections of the beach. The rocky outcrops along the coast were observed to be roosting sites for avifaunal species namely, White-bellied Sea Eagles, Pigeons, Swiftlets, etc. Spatial prioritization of the marine habitats revealed potential PA’s include Kawda, 7 rocks, Lighthouse area, covering an area of 29.07 sq.km; conservation priority areas comprising Chiwla, and Sargassm covering a total area of 19.21 sq. km and King’s garden (3.534 sq km) as sensitive area. Strategies to conserve these areas for long term conservation. should be planned. Spatial mapping of important marine habitats of Malvan coast for re-organization of boundary of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary