Projects in India

Sustainable Harvesting of Mangrove Resources to Ensure Food Security in 26 Tsunami Affected Traditional Fisher Folk Villages

The overall objective of the project is to ensure livelihood security for the mangrove stakeholders such as wood and thatch cutters, fuel and fodder collectors, honey extractors, fishermen and crab harvesters through education, motivation and training on sustainable management and harvesting of mangrove resources in 26 villages of Guntur district, south India.

Amhibians and Reptiles, Nicobar Islands, India

Status and distribution of the amphibians and reptiles of the Nicobar Islands, India

A Study of the Scarabaeid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and Economic Importance in Sindhudurg District of Konkan Region in Maharashtra

This study of Scarabaeid beetles of Sindhudurg district aims to reveal the status of these life forms in this gradually depleting mega-diverse region of Konkan. The awareness amongst people about role of dung beetles in agriculture as well as nature and importance of sustainable farming would help in getting involvement of local people in protecting environment.

Conserving Grouper Species and Sustaining the Grouper Fishery of the Andaman Islands

This project aims to assess the grouper fishery of the Andaman Islands, a site of a relatively nascent grouper fishery. Through interviews with fishers, dive surveys, and market analyses, this project intends to generate information about this poorly studied fishery, while also providing an opportunity to work with local communities in addressing conservation and livelihood concerns.

Conservation Assessment of Rare Medicinal Tree Species Restricted to the Traditionally Protected Forest Fragments of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India

This project aims to stress the need for conserving fragmented populations of medicinal trees in the Western Ghats. The project also aims to highlight the importance of traditionally protected forests as viable conservation areas.

Malki Jungle Suraksha Scheme - Launching India’s First Ever Conservation Incentive Programme to Combat Deforestation in the North Western Ghats

In its first year, this programme aims to establish conservation agreements on private lands in the Konkan region to forego landowners from leasing out their forests to logging contractors.

Protection of Green Zone in the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Eco Sensitive Zone (in the Western Ghats) Satara District, State of Maharashtra, India

This project aims to seek changes in the published draft Master Plan of the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Eco Sensitive Zone.

Evaluating Impacts of Human Disturbance on Health and Reproductive Capacity of the Wild Tiger Populations in the Western Ghats Landscape, India

This project targets to assess the physiological consequences of nutritional and psychological stress in wild tigers. We also aim to evaluate the effect of these disturbances on their reproductive status and how such impacts vary with gender and habitat protection status.

Ecological Restoration of Elephant Corridors and Community Awareness to Reduce Human-Elephant Conflict around Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve, West Bengal, India

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a better participatory management plan of elephant habitats.

Community Capacity Building & Conservation Education to Mitigate Man-Elephant Conflict & Conservation of Eastern India Elephant Population in West Bengal, India

The proposed project intend to do research, elaborative capacity building and conservation education programme to minimise the man-elephant conflict in entire home range of Eastern India Elephant Population in West Bengal which includes Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve (414.06sq.km.) and declared influence zone (1436sq.km). We are also going to form an ‘Elephant Reserve Research Station’ in the proposed study areas.

Snow Leopards in India

Conservation of the endangered Snow Leopard and their prey species, and capacity building of frontline staff in Trans-Himalayan Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India

Conserving the Endemic Manipur Brow-Antlered Deer (Rucervus Eldii Eldii) in Keibul Lamjao National Park, North Eastern India

The study aims to assess the current status of Sangai in Keibul Lamjao National Park and threats to their conservation. This project also aims to impart conservation efforts through the local communities by integrating and sensitising them towards conservation of this species.

Community Outreach for Landscape Level Wildlife Conservation in the Western Ghats of Karnataka

This project aims to improve the reach and impact of conservation through outreach activities to strengthen the support of local communities, opinion builders, policy makers and key social leaders for wildlife conservation.

Distribution, Status and Effects of Trade on Large Bodied Spiders of the Genus Poecilotheria and Other Theraphosid Spiders in India

This is the first ever systematic attempt to document the distribution of family Theraphosidae spiders in India, and to assess the effects of trade on large bodied spiders.

A Lepidoptera Survey to Augment an Ongoing Community Ecotourism Initiative in Eaglenest Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh

The project aims to study poorly known Lepidoptera fauna in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounds in Arunachal Pradesh and link the findings to a long term landscape conservation plan. In addition, the project seeks to augment an ongoing bird eco-tourism venture, through butterfly eco-tourism involving the local community.

Assessment of Lepidopteran Diversity in the Kameng Protected Area Complex, Arunachal Pradesh, India to Augment Ongoing Community Ecotourism Initiatives

The project's first phase, supported by an RSG, generated information about lepidopteran diversity in the Kameng Protected Area Complex in Arunachal Pradesh providing crucial information that is being used to initiate butterfly and moth-based ecotourism at Eaglenest WLS. This project seeks to continue leptidopteran surveys in seasons and localities not yet covered in the first phase to generate species data in a poorly a studied biodiversity hot spot, to sustain the butterfly and moth tourism at Eaglenest, expand it to Pakke Tiger Reserve and build the capability of the local communities in both locations to sustain the ecotourism initiative.

Mapping Butterfly Hotspots: Prime Butterfly Areas in Assam, India

Assam, in northeast India, has a very high diversity of butterflies, much of which is poorly documented. This project seeks to identify and map ‘Prime Butterfly Areas’ – sites of importance for butterfly conservation, by (1) generating information on the butterfly diversity of key protected areas and (2) identifying conservation-dependent species in order to set priorities for future conservation action.

Environment Education Programme in the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary Area

The two main aims of this project are i) To instill in the village school children the knowledge and appreciation of their rich natural biodiversity and to encourage them to understand the importance of harmonious co-existence between humans and wildlife and ii) Spread awareness on the issues of wildlife and the sanctuary, and discuss possible solutions and planning steps for concrete action towards conservation with community participation.

Kalpavriksh Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary Environment Education Programme

The project has two aims i)To instill in the village school children the knowledge and appreciation of their rich natural biodiversity and to encourage them to understand the importance of harmonious co-existence between humans and wildlife. ii)Spread awareness on the issues of wildlife and the sanctuary, and discuss possible solutions and planning steps for concrete action towards conservation with community participation

Elephant Habitat Management through Community Participation in Selected Villages of the East Karbi Hills of Assam, India

The aims of this project is to employ villagers otherwise engaged in forest destruction in the plantation of two cash crops in the abandoned croplands which will also wean them away from the traditional but less economically viable slash and burn method. Secondly, to establish the socio-economic and land use patterns of the forest villagers to enable the preparation of future conservation action plan and target specific areas for anti-poaching and elephant habitat management activities.

Ecological Restoration of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus Santalinus L.) Forests – An Adaptive Collaborative Modelling Supported Approach

This project aims to develop a community supported ecological restoration strategy with inputs of restoration techniques, species distribution modelling and stakeholders perception identified through research.

Population Survey and Conservation of Two Little-Known Primates, Macaca Munzala and Nycticebus

Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India is listed among the 200 globally important ecoregions, yet much of its wildlife remains relatively unexplored. The objectives of our study are to conduct population surveys for two virtually unknown primate species that are found there – the nocturnal Bengal slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis and the newly discovered Arunachal macaque Macaca munzala - in order to estimate their abundances and evaluate conservation threats affecting their survival in Arunachal Pradesh.

Avian Frugivores – Understanding Determinants of Distribution and Diversity in the Western Ghats, Southern India

The focus of this study is to understand the factors that determine the distribution and diversity of avian frugivores in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, using a combination of field surveys, secondary data collection and ecological niche modeling. Understanding frugivore species distributions and their role in the ecosystem will facilitate conservation prioritization, and recommendations related to management of threatened species and disturbed habitats

Vulture Conservation Project

Conserving one of the most endangered Bird of India; Vultures in the Wild.

Effect of Forest Disturbance on Pollination

This project will determine the effect of pollination by creatures such as bats and primates on the reproductive efficacy of an important keystone tree species at Kakachi in the southern Western Ghats of India