Anant Pande, Ph.D’s Post

🌟 Excited to Share #MyFirstResearchPublication in Scientific Reports! 🌟 I am thrilled to announce our recent research publication of in Scientific Reports, focusing on the critical habitats of dugongs in Indian coastal waters. This study underscores the importance of systematic spatial planning for biodiversity conservation and meeting area-based protection targets in the western Indian Ocean. 🔍 **Study Highlights:** - Utilized environmental niche modelling to predict suitable dugong habitats and identify key influencing factors across Indian waters. - Analyzed fishing pressure data from systematic interview surveys, citizen-science contributions, and field surveys to demarcate habitats with varying risks. - Found seagrass presence as the primary determinant of dugong habitat suitability, with other variables like depth, bathymetric slope, and distance from shore being significant for seasonal suitability. - Observed a notable seasonal habitat shift from Palk Bay pre-monsoon to Gulf of Mannar post-monsoon, indicating potential seasonal movement of dugongs. - Identified high to moderate risk areas along the Palk Bay-Gulf of Mannar coastline, including the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. - Highlighted Andaman Islands' high suitability during pre- and post-monsoon seasons, and Nicobar Islands' high suitability during the monsoon season. - Less than 15% of high-risk areas in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar fall within existing protected areas. 🔬 **Key Takeaways:** - The study emphasizes the utility of citizen science and secondary data in conducting large-scale spatial ecological analysis. - Identifying ‘Critical Dugong Habitats’ at a synoptic scale has significant positive implications for India's efforts in achieving the global 30×30 conservation target through systematic conservation planning. I am grateful for the support and contributions from Wildlife Institute of India and CAMPA Dugong Recovery Programe team (Sharad Bayyana, Anant Pande, Ph.D and others) for their support, guidance and sharing the invaluable data. This research represents a significant step towards effective conservation of dugong habitats in India. 🔗 Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/gEjj9D8f #newspaperalert #newspaper #MarineBiology #Conservation #Dugongs #IndianCoastalWaters #Biodiversity #ScientificReports #ResearchPublication #SpatialPlanning #CitizenScience #ConservationPlanning #30x30Target

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟭 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁) 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 The Swiftest website ranked 201 countries based on its Global Biodiversity Index (2022). Rankings are based on available data to highlight the most and least biodiverse nations. The index evaluates six key factors: the number of bird, amphibian, fish, mammal, reptile, and plant species in each country. Notably, these rankings rely on raw species counts without adjusting for land area or geographic locations.  Papua New Guinea ranks 12th, just behind Venezuela (11th) and ahead of Myanmar (13th).  You can have a look a the full listing here: https://lnkd.in/gbfnR-9x #Biodiversity #Conservation #Sustainability #Environment #GlobalIndex #Nature

I'm happy to see that the Umbrella Species conservation strategy (the same concept that we used to build our biodiversity credit methodology) is aligned with a recent journal article published by Biological Conservation. The research was conducted by a group from the Durrell Institute and Ecology, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Indonesia in collaboration with the Gunung Leuser National Park of Sumatra. Basically the study evaluated the performance of eight umbrella species in a community of mammals in the park, and found that some species that are frequently overlooked (such as the sambar deers, clouded leopards and sun bears) are actually better indicators to the overall biodiversity than the "large-bodied charismatic ones" such as the Sumatran tigers and rhinos. The researchers advocate the adoption of an "umbrella fleet" approach, which integrates multiple top umbrella species to benefit the overarching purpose of conserving biodiversity and the ecosystem. ERA & Regen Network Development PBC are actively piloting our methodology in two regions: 1) Ecuador together with the Amazon Sacred Headwaters and 2) in the Pantanal together with Instituto Homem Pantaneiro - IHP. These learnings will be incorporated into a updated version of the methodology as we keep learning about the complexities of monitoring and rewarding biodiversity stewardship! Onwards and upwards! To read more access the article here: https://lnkd.in/d5abGEFA #biodiversitycredits #umbrellaspecies #SDG15

Human activities have led to the extinction of around 1,430 bird species, more than double the previous estimate. This alarming impact on bird biodiversity highlights the need for conservation efforts. https://lnkd.in/gkq2R3qM

CORAL REEF NEWS: Iconic Giant Clams among species added to the IUCN global Red List Giant clams, once a popular resident in shallow-water tropical reefs, have suffered plunging population declines due to decades of unchecked harvesting of their meat and impressively massive shells. The threatened state of Tridacna gigas is well-known as this species is already protected by several conservation measures. The current status of all twelve giant clams was not understood until the recent update to the IUCN Red List for endangered species published at the end of October. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive information source on global extinction risk. It is an important tool in the protection and conservation of individual species and global biodiversity by providing objective information and data that communicates threats, informs policy, influences resource allocation and shapes decision-making of conservation efforts worldwide. The most recent update to the list includes all twelve giant clam species. In addition to Tridacna gigas listed as Critically Endangered, three clam species were assessed as Endangered, two as Vulnerable, four as Least Concern, and two as Data Deficient. These Red List assessments come at a critical time for the ocean giants, which are currently the focus of new efforts for the protection under the US Endangered Species Act. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/eky4UdSH #coralreefs #giantclams #iucn #redlist #conservation #endangered #coralreefecology #threatenedspecies #marineecology #marinebiology

India has prepared a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 1,04,561 species, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The “Fauna of India Checklist Portal” was launched on the occasion of the 109th Foundation Day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) last week. The checklist includes 121 lists of all known taxa, covering 36 phyla and highlighting endemic, threatened, and scheduled species. India is the world's 8th most biodiverse region with 23.39% of the nation's geographical area under forest and tree cover. While India accounts for only two per cent of the planet’s land mass, it accounts for 7.5 per cent of the world’s biodiversity. 641 new species were added to Indian fauna in 2023, including 442 entirely new species and 199 species which have been newly recorded in the country. https://lnkd.in/dVaniF8R

#EcoSaludGlobal Selecting umbrella species as mammal #biodiversity indicators in tropical forest Abstract Conservation managers often monitor umbrella species as indicators of broader biodiversity patterns, but this assumption is seldom evaluated due to lack of survey data and objective umbrella criteria. We evaluated the performance of eight candidate #umbrellaspecies in representing broader patterns of mammal biodiversity in Sumatra, Indonesia, using a comprehensive camera trap dataset from the island's largest remaining tropical rainforest. We employed an occupancy modeling framework to quantify the association between species-level occupancy and four community-level biodiversity parameters while accounting for imperfect detection. Sambar deer and clouded leopard were consistently ranked the top umbrellas. Areas where these species were prevalent were associated with higher levels of community occupancy, species richness, functional and phylogenetic diversity. Sumatran tiger and rhino were among the lower ranked umbrellas, and inadequately represented other biodiversity parameters despite being the main subjects of monitoring. Our results demonstrate that the occurrence status of charismatic species commonly regarded as umbrellas does not necessarily represent broader patterns of biodiversity. Species that are frequently overlooked by conservation decision-making may better represent overall mammal diversity. We advocate utilizing umbrella fleets with multiple species monitored to better represent biodiversity patterns, and encourage broader application of our data-driven framework to assess umbrella species performance. https://lnkd.in/ek6-k7WK

Scientists recently declared the Slender-billed Curlew extinct - the first known global #birdextinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. Unless #biodiversityloss is treated as the crisis that it is, it won’t be the last. As BirdWatch Ireland remind us in the linked article, the loss of the Slender-billed Curlew serves as a stark reminder that extinction is happening in real-time, on our watch, and within Ireland. Our breeding population of #curlews is in danger. The #CornBunting, a once common farmland bird, has been extinct in Ireland since the 1990s. Species such as the #HenHarrier are on the brink, with only 85-106 breeding pairs believed to remain in the country, with just one known pair of #RingOuzel. Scientists know what needs to be done to reverse species declines and it is up to national and global leaders to step up and take collaborative action. #RestoreNature Published in the International Journal of #AvianScience, the analysis of the Slender-billed Curlew’s conservation status was a collaboration between RSPB, BirdLife International, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Natural History Museum. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eucE8QJM ⏰ If your project needs winter bird surveys by our #ecologists to monitor species and their habitats, drop us a line at sales@scottcawley.com to discuss and ensure you don't miss the winter #BirdSurvey season. ⏳ #SlenderBilledCurlew Curlew Action #EcologicalConsultancy #IrishWildlife #HabitatSurvey #ActionsForNature #VoteForNature #GiveNatureAVoice

As we are celebrating #WorldAnimalDay, here are some findings on threatened species in our project area in Colombia we are trying to protect: The preliminary analysis, based on available range information of certain taxonomic groups, has identified 21 species that are threatened within our project area. Moreover, the most recent conservation status of the Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) highlights the Rio Iteviare, within our project area, as prime habitat with suitable nest locations in riverbanks. This is one of the largest living crocodilian species on earth, but only 90-254 individuals are estimated to still occur in their natural habitat (IUCN, 2017). We are actively looking for remnant populations in our project area and exploring possibilities to reinforce any remnant populations or invest into the recovery. Other notable species present in our project area include: Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus) - Vulnerable  Jaguar (Panthera onca) - Near Threatened White-bellied Spider Monkey (Ateles belzebuth) - Endangered  Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) - Vulnerable  Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) - Vulnerable Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyija) - Vulnerable Our monitoring efforts and techniques should reveal the presence of most of these species in the project area. Focusing on flagship species with significant keystone roles is one of our main conservation strategies. We are committed to protecting our project areas from deforestation and actively engaging local communities in the conservation efforts. More posts on biodiversity will follow! Together, we can make a difference! #biodiversity #conservation #wildlife

Are there places in the world that serve as “biodiversity havens”? Recent research has identified nearly 17,000 such sites globally, spanning approximately 164 million hectares. These sites urgently require protection to prevent the anticipated extinction of thousands of rare species. Interestingly, almost 61% of these ‘Conservation Imperatives’ sites are situated in the tropics, with over three-quarters nestled within tropical rainforests. Furthermore, 38% of these sites are conveniently located near existing protected areas, simplifying their conservation through integration into these areas or linkage via wildlife corridors. "Targeting these areas for immediate protection offers an achievable win for nature conservation by heading off the sixth great extinction of life on Earth", explains Dr. Eric Dinerstein of RESOLVE, the lead author of the paper. These Conservation Imperatives are home to over 4,700 threatened species residing in some of the world’s most biodiverse yet endangered ecosystems. These species include not only mammals and birds that rely on intact habitats, such as the tamaraw in the Philippines and the Celebes crested macaque in Indonesia, but also range-restricted amphibians, reptiles, and rare plant species. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gkASCZK5 OneEarth Living #biodiversity #climateaction #natureconservation #naturepositive