Conservation activities on aquatic habitat and fauna.pptx

Conservation

1. Conservation activities on aquatic habitat and fauna Rajarshi Bandyopadhyay

2. Introduction India with 2.45% of the world’s area, has 8.10% of the world’s total biodiversity with a species count of over 1,35,261. To protect the critically endangered and other threatened animal and plant species, govt. has adopted many steps, laws and policy initiatives India is a signatory to several major international conventions relating to conservation and management of wildlife. Some of these are Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals etc. Financial and Technical assistance is provided to State/Union Territory Governments for protection and Management of Protected Areas as well as other forests under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes

3. Important acts regarding conservation Fisheries Act 1897. Indian Forests Act 1927 . Mining and Mineral Development Regulation Act 1957. Prevention of cruelty to animals 1960. Wildlife protection act 1972. Water (prevention and control of pollution) act 1974. Forest Conservation Act 1980 . Air(prevention and control of pollution) act 1981. Environment Protection Act 1986. Biological Diversity Act 2002. Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers (recognition of rights) act 2006.

4. Important policies regarding conservation National Forest Policy. National Conservation Strategy and Policy statement on Environment and Development. National Policy and macro-level action strategy on Biodiversity. National Biodiversity Action Plan (2009). National Agriculture Policy. National Water Policy. National Environment Policy (2006).

5. In-situ and Ex-situ Conservation

6. Marine Protected Areas Around the World

7. Case Studies on Conservation Effort

8. Environment Protection Act (1986) As per this Act, the Central Government shall have the power to take all such measures for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and to prevent environmental pollution. No person carrying on an industry, operation or process shall discharge or emit any environmental pollutant in excess of standards prescribed by the Government. As per the Act where the discharge of any environmental pollutant in excess of prescribed standard occurs , the person responsible for such discharge shall be bound to prevent or mitigate the pollutant so caused as well as intimate the fact of such occurrence to the concerned authorities. For the purposes of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and preventing and abetting environmental pollution, standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from the industries, operations or processes are specified in Schedules I to IV of the Environment (Protection) Rules.

9. M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India In a historic judgment in 1987, the court ordered the closure of a number of polluting tanneries near Kanpur. The court held that- “Just like an industry which cannot pay minimum wages to its workers cannot be allowed to exist, a tannery which cannot set up a primary treatment plant cannot be permitted to continue to be in existence.” The Court ordered the tanneries to establish primary treatment plants, if not Secondary treatment plants. That is the minimum which the tanneries should do in the circumstances of the case.

10. Ganga Action Plan The Ganga Action Plan was started in 1986 ( currently phase II started in 1993) for control of water pollution in the river Ganga. The plan was to make Ganga pollution free from Rishikesh to Kolkata. The first phase of the Ganga action plan was inaugurated by late Rajiv Gandhi at Rajendra prasad ghat of Banaras. The experts from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and National Environment Engineering Research Institute were appointed to check the quality of the water. The government launched the second phase of the Ganga Action Plan in 2001 wherein the central pollution board, central public works department and public works department are the bodies to carry out the plan.

11. Namami Gange Bio-Diversity Conservation-Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Kolkata & Uttar Pradesh State Forest Department has been awarded projects to develop science - based aquatic species restoration plan for Ganga River by involving multiple stakeholders along with conservation & restoration of aquatic biodiversity. Cadre of volunteers (Ganga Praharis ) have been developed and trained to support conservation actions in the field, floating interpretation centre “Ganga Tarini” and interpretation centre “Ganga Darpan” have been established for developing awareness on biodiversity conservation and Ganga rejuvenation

12. Initiative of CIFRI CIFRI has carried out the assessment of fish and fisheries in the basin to record the available fish species and has mapped it in GIS platform to understand the status and distribution of fishes in Ganga. Tagging procedures has also been initiated to see the migration pattern of identified fish like Hilsa. CIFRI is also conducting ranching and awareness programmes at various locations in the river basin for conservation and restoration of Indian Major Carps (IMC) & Mahseer in Ganga.

13. River ranching initiatives of CIFRI

14. Wildlife Protection Act (1972) This was enacted with the objective of effectively protecting the wild life of this country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives. It provides a powerful legal framework for prohibition of hunting, protection and management of wildlife habitats, establishment of protected areas, regulation and control of trade in parts and products derived from wildlife etc. Schedule I- It covers endangered species that need rigorous protection. The species are granted protection from poaching, killing, trading etc. Schedule II- Animals under this list are also accorded high protection with the prohibition on their trade. Schedule III and IV- Species that are not endangered are included under Schedule III and IV. Schedule V -This schedule contains animals that are considered as vermi n (small wild animals that carry disease and destroy plants and food). These animals can be hunted. Schedule VI- It provides for regulation in cultivation of a specified plant and restricts its possession, sale and transportation.

15. The case of whale shark The whale shark, the first fish species to be included in the Act , is hunted in large numbers off the Gujarat coast, for export to South- East Asia, Japan, the UK, and the USA. The Whale Shark also receives international protection due to its inclusion in Appendix II of the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). WTI launched the widely-acclaimed Whale Shark Campaign in 2004 to spread awareness on the plight of the species and its protected status among coastal communities in Gujarat. The campaign helped convert the fishermen into protectors of the fish and brought about a change in the perception and attitude of local people. A joint venture of the Gujarat Forest Department, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the project activities involve scientific studies of whale sharks through photo-identification, genetic analysis and satellite tagging.

16. Tagging whale shark CSR initiative

17. Community Based Conservation Of Sea Turtles And Dolphins, India Supraja Dharini is Chairperson of the TREE Foundation , an organisation dedicated to the conservation of marine fauna in Kancheepuram on India’s east coast. The Foundation aims address these issues by engaging artisanal fishermen and local youth to conserve and study marine fauna, whilst raising awareness in nearby villages, schools and among the general public to empower coastal communities to work towards more sustainable practices and participate in decision-making. Since the Foundation’s inception in 2002, more than 55,000 Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings have been safely released.

18. Conservation of Fresh water turtles of Mahanadi, India According to IUCN reports, 6 species of fresh water turtles of Orissa are endangered due to poaching. Biswajit and his team are working to expand studies completed by the Wildlife Society of Orissa to assess the condition and population size of Orissa’s remaining turtles. Gangs of poachers from outside the state have been observed camping by waterways and stringing up lines with multiple hooks to catch turtles, whilst others lure turtles with dead cattle carcasses on the river banks. The project is involving the local fishing community in remaining vigilant against poaching and door to door campaigns and local meetings are helping engage local people to and seek their active support in protecting turtles and their eggs.

19. Biological Diversity Act (1992) The 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro led to the preparation of the international legal instrument, the ‘ Convention on Biological Diversity’ (CBD) for the conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of benefits of biological diversity. Consequently, India enacted the Biological Diversity (BD) Act in 2002 and notified the Biological Diversity Rules in 2004. A three-tier institutional structure was formed. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) established by the Government of India in 2003 which occupies the apex position, headquartered in Chennai and implements the BD Act at the national level as the first tier . The second and the third tier constitute the State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) and Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) respectively.

20. Reef Watch Marine Conservation The organisation is involved in research, education, and outreach activities with the sole intent of making citizens aware about the need to preserve marine life . It works towards protecting, restoring, and rehabilitating coral reefs in the Andaman Islands. The team rescues broken coral and helps secure these fragments using mineral accretion technology and electrolysis. Further, through treatment and care, they help the coral grow back in its natural habitat, monitoring it and preventing coral disease.

21. Terra Conscious This organisation was founded in 2017 by Puja Mitra , who was previously a senior programme coordinator for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India. Terra Conscious focusses on promoting responsible tourism and marine conservation in Goa, India. A study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature India, supported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature India, stated that, during observation surveys, dolphins were displaying signs of stress around tour boats, including avoidance behaviour and changing the path of travel. Through its ‘stranding response network’ the NGO has created a collaborative project with the Goa forest department, IUCN, and Drishti Marine Services in Goa. Through this programme , it has trained veterinarians from the state animal husbandry department to provide treatment for injured sea turtles.

22. Society for Marine Research and Conservation SMRC is a marine conservation NGO located in Cochin, Kerala . Its mission is to help conserve marine life and ocean flora and fauna through research and to provide the best solutions through sustainable development. The society carries out a number of campaigns to ensure that sea creatures are well-protected — be it through the ‘Migratory Sea Birds Monitoring’ programme or through the ‘Save Juvenile Fishes’ programme . Through the ‘ Save the Juvenile Fishes’ programme , the NGO campaigns against catching of fish species before they reach their full growth . It is trying to raise awareness on the ill-effects of overfishing and proposes conservative methods towards stopping juvenile fishing and hunting.

23. Coastal Impact This company is situated in Goa, India, with the intent to conserve marine life. The primary aim of Coastal Impact is “ to study & monitor our marine ecosystems, support awareness, outreach, research, and conservation actions and also help build interest and engagement amongst local communities and visitors about the extraordinary oceanic ecosystems of India .” Coastal Impact has been conducting underwater cleanup drives for the last 25 years. The team has found and removed a number of plastic items, garbage, and glass materials that pose a health hazard to marine creatures. In 2017, in one day alone, they picked 2.4 million cigarette butts from the waters. This was recorded in the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Report, 2017.

24. Fish Passes Large dams are major cause of degradation of aquatic environment and disruption of livelihood communities dependent upon the fishery along the rivers and the situation is alarming in case of India which is, at present, the third largest dam building country in the world with 5254 large dams and 447 dams under construction. A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon, is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movements of potamodromous species.

25. Fish Aggregating Devices A fish aggregating device is a man-made object used to attract pelagic fish such as marlin, tuna and mahi-mahi. They usually consist of buoys or floats tethered to the ocean floor.  This deploying man-made floating devices called Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in order to attract tunas and enhance the efficiency of their fishing effort. About , 40% of the world’s tropical tuna catch consists of fish associated with floating objects. Coastal anchored FADs are generally deployed near shore to support artisanal tuna fisheries while drifting FADs are utilized offshore by industrial purse seine fisheries.

26. Installation of FAD along Srikakulam coast ICAR-CIFT carried out a demonstration project to study on the affects of Fish Aggregating Devices along the Srikakulam coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. FADs were constructed as a double layered bamboo raft. The study on before and after the installation indicated beneficial impact on fisheries. While no major changes were observed in the diversity of the fishes, there have been a significant increase in catch and CPUE with more than 25% increase. There have been a daily average increase of wages by Rs 400-500 per fisherman.

27. Conclusion Protecting aquatic habitats is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, supporting ecosystem services, and ensuring the health of marine and freshwater species. Sustainable practices, pollution control, and habitat restoration are essential strategies for safeguarding these vital ecosystems.

28. References https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277124537_Biodiversity_Conservation_in_India https://www.clearias.com/biodiversity-protection-steps-taken-by-indian-government/ Aquatic Biodiversity Management in India-J. K. Jena • A. Gopalakrishnan https://legaldesire.com/15-landmark-judgments-on-environmental-protection/ http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/996/The-Dehradun-Valley- Litigation.html\ https://nmcg.nic.in/NamamiGanga.aspx https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/coastal-regulation-zone- 1

29. https://www.wti.org.in/news/whale-shark-becomes-the-first-fish-to-be-protected- in- india -wildlife-protection-act-schedules- ammended / https://www.wti.org.in/projects/whale-shark-conservation-project/ https://whitleyaward.org/winners/whale-shark-conservation-india/ https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/12/five-organisations-preservation- indian -marine-ecosystem/amp