3 months ago
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The estimated colonisation of dugongs successful Tamil Nadu has been enactment astatine 270. A survey undertaken by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) successful collaboration with the Forest Department on the Tamil Nadu coast, has recovered that determination are 158 dugongs successful Palk Bay and 112 dugongs successful Gulf of Mannar.
“The findings bespeak that the dugong colonisation successful Tamil Nadu is unchangeable and doing well, says Supriya Sahu, further main secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department.
In a societal media post, she said together, Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar present correspond the largest viable dugong colonisation successful India. This is mostly attributed to the implementation of the Dugong Recovery Programme by WII, supported done CAMPA, on with the proactive and sustained conservation efforts of the Forest Department, including assemblage engagement to support dugongs, she said.
Importantly, the confirmed beingness of parent calf pairs provides grounds of progressive breeding. The study besides highlights the notification of the Dugong Conservation Reserve successful Palk Bay, covering 448 sq.km of its halfway situation by the government, arsenic a important milestone towards semipermanent extortion of the species, she said.
The UAV survey was carried retired successful enactment with standardised protocols and methodology. “The survey has established a benchmark and volition beryllium scaled up successful aboriginal for regular monitoring of the dugong population,” said Dr. J. A. Johnson, Scientist-F, WII, who led the appraisal team.
The contiguous survey is the archetypal systematic, UAV-based colonisation estimate. The exertion of standardized fixed-width portion transacts, syncrhonised drone deployments, and availability-bias correction produced reliable density and abundance estimates comparable with planetary champion practices.
The earlier estimated dugong colonisation successful Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar portion was astir 175 individuals, an estimation done based connected the interview-based survey conducted successful 2012 and 2013. The contiguous numbers based connected aerial survey detection indicates that the dugong colonisation was doing good and these 2 areas stay the stronghold of dugong colonisation successful the country, the study said.
Surveys were conducted crossed 48 locations utilizing 96 aerial transects covering 37.44 sq.km with a full formation effort of 288 km. A full of 9 dugongs were sighted connected effort. These observations yielded an wide abundance estimation of 270 (plus oregon minus 16) dugongs for Tamil Nadu.
While the survey represented a important advancement successful dugong colonisation assessment, it besides had immoderate methodological limitations. The contiguous UAV-based surveys were restricted to a fixed transect magnitude of astir 3 km, determined by drone endurance, artillery beingness and operational information requirements successful coastal conditions. The estimates whitethorn not afloat relationship for individuals that temporarily determination into deeper waters, the study added.
