WII Technical Reports/Books/Manuals
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Item Ecological study of tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) as indicator for biodiversity monitoring in the Shivalik landscape(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2007) Uniyal, V.P.; Sivakumar, K.; Padmawathe, R.; Kittur, Swati; Bhargav, Vinay; Bhardwaj, Manish; Dobhal, RashmiItem Recovery of dugongs and their habitats in India: an integrated participatory approach : Annual Progress report VI (2021-23)(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2023) Johnson, J.A.; Prabakaran, N.; Sivakumar, K.; Chakraborty, O.; Gole, S.; Pathan, S.; Ghanekar, C.; Rajpurkar, S.; Hatkar, P.; Seal, S.; Patel, S.; Iyer, S.; Prajapati, S.; Bose, S.; Tripura, V,; Christian, G.; Joshi, R.; Aggarwal, A.; Dhiman, G.; Negi, S.National CAMPA Authority under the aegis of Endangered Species Recovery Program, Dugong Recovery Program was initiated with major objectives to a) Assess dugong population status through advanced census techniques and determine its abundance and distribution, identify critical habitats, classify threats and develop a site-specific monitoring plan to reduce poaching and incidental entanglements, b) Characterize the critical dugong habitats, reduce direct and indirect threats, c) Raise awareness on the species and encourage the participation of the local communities; and d) Enhance the capacity of the State Forest Department staff and develop/implement smart patrolling tools to improve protection enforcement; train forest staff and local communities in underwater surveys for long-term habitat monitoring. In the last five years of its implementation, an integrated participatory approach was adopted to ensure recovery of dugong populations and conservation of seagrass habitat in India.Item Recovery of dugongs and their habitats in India: an integrated participatory approach : Annual progress report V (2020-21)(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Sivakumar, K.; Johnson, J.A.; Pande, A.; Gole, S.; Dudhat, S.; Shekar, S.; Pathan, S.; Ghanekar, C.; Magesh, M.K.; Rajpurkar, S.; Seal, S.; Bayyana, S,; Patel, S,; Prajapati, S.; Saini, H.; Hatkar, P.; Tripura, V.; Bose, S.; Christian, G.National CAMPA Authority under the aegis of Endangered Species Recovery Program, Dugong Recovery Program was initiated with major objectives to a) Assess dugong population status through advanced census techniques and determine its abundance and distribution, identify critical habitats, classify threats and develop a site-specific monitoring plan to reduce poaching and incidental entanglements, b) Characterize the critical dugong habitats, reduce direct and indirect threats, c) Raise awareness on the species and encourage the participation of the local communities; and d) Enhance the capacity of the State Forest Department staff and develop/implement smart patrolling tools to improve protection enforcement; train forest staff and local communities in underwater surveys for long-term habitat monitoring. In the last five years of its implementation, an integrated participatory approach was adopted to ensure recovery of dugong populations and conservation of seagrass habitat in IndiaItem Recovery of dugongs and their habitats in India: an integrated participatory approach - Annual Progress Report IV (2019-20)(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Sivakumar, K.; Johnson, J.A.; Pande, A,; Gole, Swapnali; Dudhat, S.; Shekar, S.; Pathan, S.; Ghanekar, C.; Dikshit, D.; Magesh, M.K.; Rajpurkar, S.; Seal, S.; Bayyana, S,; Patel, S.; Saini, H.; Prajapati, S.; Hatkar, P.; Mehta, D.; Bose, S.; Tripura, V.; Christian, G.; Yallapu, S.; Sharma, S,; Semwal, R.; Pacha, A.National CAMPA Authority under the aegis of Endangered Species Recovery Program, Dugong Recovery Program was initiated with major objectives to a) Assess dugong population status through advanced census techniques and determine its abundance and distribution, identify critical habitats, classify threats and develop site-specific monitoring plan to reduce poaching and incidental entanglements, b) Characterize the critical dugong habitats, reduce direct and indirect threats, c) Raise awareness on the species and encourage the participation of the local communities; and d) Enhance the capacity of the State Forest Department staff and develop/implement smart patrolling tools to improve protection enforcement; train forest staff and local communities in underwater surveys for long-term habitat monitoring. In the last three years of its implementation, an integrated participatory approach was adopted to ensure recovery of dugong populations and conservation of seagrass their habitat in India.Item Dugong distribution, habitat and risks due to Fisheries and other anthropogenic activities in India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2013) Sivakumar, K.; Nair, A.The dugong (Dugong dugon), also called the sea cow, is one of the four surviving species in the order Sirenia, and it is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea, including Indian waters. Conservation of the dugong, which is a flagship species, represents coastal conservation. This protected species occurs in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The population of the dugong, which was once abundant, is assumed to have reduced to about 200 individuals in India. This number and the range of the dugong are believed to be continuously declining. Several reasons have been attributed to the decline in the dugong population, including sea grass habitat loss and degradation, gill netting, disease, water pollutants, indigenous use and poaching. This study was initiated to understand the dugong’s current distribution range and the magnitude of the anthropogenic threats faced by it and its habitat in India. The objectives include (1) determining the status and distribution of the dugong population in India, (2) understanding the risks faced by the dugong populations and their habitats, (3) assessing the status of artisanal fisheries in identified dugong habitats, (4) identifying the key areas where dugongs are present to conserve them and (5) understanding the attitude of fishermen towards conservation of dugongs. Three zones, namely the Gulf of Kutch, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay were identified as the study area on the basis of information published on dugong sightings, stranding records and seagrass presence. A standardised dugong catch/bycatch questionnaire developed by the CMS-UNEP Dugong MOU Panel was used for interview surveys after it was translated into regional languages. Region-specific threats to the dugong and its habitat were identified. Occupancy models were built in the program PRESENCE to identify critical dugong habitats using dugong sighting data from the past 5 years (2008 to 2012). The range of variables that influenced occupancy and detection were also assessed. Dugong occupancy was greatest in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, followed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and lowest in the Gulf of Kutch. At present, the overall occupancy of the dugong in Indian waters is estimated to be 11% of the total surveyed area. Only 21% of the area sampled in Tamil Nadu was found to be occupied by dugongs. The corresponding proportion was 12% in the iii Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 1% in the Gulf of Kutch. Overall, the dugong distribution range has significantly decreased by about 85% in the distribution range of the dugong in India. Dugongs are also exist in regions outside the existing protected area (PA) network. Thus, conservation planning should also focus on dugong habitats outside PAs. Preventive measures, such as affording greater protection to dugongs and making fisheries sustainable with dugong friendly gear and craft, especially in the critical dugong habitats identified, are recommended. It is of the utmost importance to secure and strengthen community participation in the management of dugongs and their habitats in India. ModelItem Conservation strategy and action plan for the marine turtles and their habitats in Puducherry(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Sivakumar, K.; Senthil Kumar, S.; Kumar, R.S.; Ramesh, C.; Adhavan, D.; Hatkar, P.; Bagaria, Priyamvada; Kakadia, D.; Jyothi, P.Puducherry, is a small but beautiful Union Territory of India, located along the southern east coast of India with coastline of 45 km. This coastline is being used for nesting of sea turtles, especially Olive Ridley and Green Sea turtles. Their sporadic nesting is at peak during November to February along Puducherry and Karaikal coasts. High sporadic nesting of sea turtles were observed on the beaches along Nallavadu/Moorthikuppam villages (Puducherry) and beaches around Arasalar River (Karaikal), therefore, these two beaches have been identified as ‘Important Sea turtle Habitats of Puducherry’ and recommended to be declared as the ‘Community or Conservation Reserves’ as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Further, it is recommended to manage these two beaches with active participation of local communities by promoting the turtle conservation as well as eco-tourism. Land use/land cover patterns along the coastal areas of Puducherry and Karailkal was significantly changed between 2004 and 2015. Larger portion of agricultural lands adjoining to nesting beach were converted for aquaculture and built up areas, that deterred sea turtles use of beaches for nesting. It was also found that arable lands along turtle nesting beaches were shrunk due to demand from other developing sectors such as aquaculture, tourism and real estate. Therefore, it is proposed to declare remaining critical sea turtle nesting beaches of Puducherry such as Nallavadu, Pannithittu, Narambi and Moorthikuppam villages (Puducherry) and beaches around Arasalar River (Karaikal) as ‘Eco-sensitive Zones’ under relevant sections of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. A significant proportion of world's Olive Ridley population migrates every winter from the Southern Indian ocean (near Sri Lanka) to Odisha, where they do mass nesting. Puducherry coastline is being used as a migratory route by these sea turtles. Off coast of Puducherry especially 60 - 400 km stretch from the shore were largely used by the migratory sea turtles during the month of October to April in every year. Further, few hundreds of sea turtles that are seems to be resident to Puducherry off coast, breed and nest along its coasts. Some of these breeding sea turtles have been incidentally killed by fishing nets especially between December and January. Turtles eggs are also predated by dogs and other animals on the shore. Therefore, it is proposed to strengthen the ongoing ex-situ turtle conservation programme of State Forest Department by facilitating the safe hatchings of turtle eggs through the artificial hatcheries. In this context, it is recommended to create two permanent hatcheries in these proposed two conservation reserves and involve local communities in the turtle monitoring and conservation programme. Moreover, Turtle Excluder Device (TED) should be made mandatory for all trawlers fishing along the Puducherry coasts. Beach erosion due to natural phenomena as well as urbanization, have reduced the nesting habitats and resulted in a drastic reduction in sea turtle nesting along Puducherry coast. Moreover, beach armouring with exotic plantations, artificial illumination and tourism are few other threats to the nesting beaches and hatchlings. Hence, it is recommended to continuously monitor the nesting beaches and avoid exotic plantation within 500 m from the high tide line and also manage vegetations on the beaches. Further, it is recommended to constitute an Authority with multi-stakeholders to protect the beaches and its biodiversity of Puducherry. It is also suggested to create a ‘Puducherry Sea Turtle and Coastal Research and Monitoring Cell’ at the Forest Department for the long term conservation of coastal biodiversity and livelihoods of people of Puducherry.Item Study on ecology and migratory patterns of golden mahseer (Tor putitora) in river Ganga using radio telemetry techniques(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Johnson, J.A.; Dhawan, B.; Sivakumar, K.Golden Mahseer, Tor putitora is popularly known as ‘Himalayan mahseer’ and it is one of the largest freshwater fishes of India It occurs along the mid-hills stretch of Himalayan region including Shivaliks and part of Terai landscape. Over the years, the golden mahseer populations and their habitats have depleted due to various anthropogenic activities, hence, it is listed as an Endangered species in the IUCN Red List. Due to rapid hydro-power developments in the river valleys, habitats of golden mahseer have been fragmented, which in turn affects the ecology and spawning biology of golden mahseer. In order to, understand ecology, habitat use and movement pattern of golden mahseer, this project was proposed in 2017. The study was carried out in the two river systems of Western Himalaya: Kosi river in Ramnagar and Kolhu river in Kotdawar. To study the movement and migratory patterns of golden mahseer, 11 individuals were tagged with radio telemetry tags in the month of June (before onset of monsoon) to understand the migratory behaviour of tagged individuals. Manual tracking and monitoring were performed for all the tagged individuals to get location points and to generate movement data during the period from June-October, 2019. Correspondingly, information related to the fish habitat-type, depth, velocity, temperature and weather was collected. Simultaneously, habitat inventory was performed in three zones in both the rivers; upper, middle and down streams. At each zone 200-meter stream reach was selected for assessment of habitat availability, habitat use by different life history stages of golden mahseer (fingerlings, juveniles and adults). This study was performed for three seasons: Post-winter (March-April), Pre-monsoon (May-early June) and Post-Monsoon (October-November) during 2018-2019. Adults of the golden mahseer were mostly found in deep waters (> 2 m) with cool temperature (18-23o C) and low water velocity (0-0.4m/s). Adults prefer pool habitats with sand and gravel/cobbles as the dominant substratum. Similarly, availability of juveniles and fingerlings were recorded along the river basins and mapped to see the available nursery grounds of the golden mahseer. Habitat preference and microhabitat use were analysed for the available nursery grounds. The results for both the rivers exhibited backwater pools, secondary channels and run habitats as highly used habitats of fingerlings. And, run habitats were mostly as used habitats by juveniles in these rivers. Fingerlings were mostly seen at depth ranges (0.1-0.6m) with velocity (0-1.2m/s) where dominant substratum was gravel and sand. Similarly, depth range between (0.3- >1.8m), moderate velocity (0.3- >1.2m/s) and habitats with cobbles, bed rock and gravel as substrate were used by the juveniles. Based on the habitat availability and use by golden mahseer, Habitat Suitability Curves (HSC’s) for the youngs were formulated. The study revealed that variation in the habitat use by the fish, significantly varied during the monsoons. In the present study, we also recorded other fish species co-existing with golden mahseer in Kosi and Kolhu. Various threats which harm the golden mahseer population and their habitats in Kosi and Kolhu river were recorded and possible conservation measures are discussedItem 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, GautamMalvan 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