India’s profitable saltwater crocodile conservation programme stares at new challenges

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: India’s saltwater crocodile conservation programme, one of many success tales within the final 48 years, is gazing new challenges. From native extinction in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to proposals up to now to delist the salties within the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it has reached a degree the place dialogue on scientific administration is crying out for consideration.

The rising battle in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park is the latest addition to the conservation administration debate. A rising density of reptiles and the ever-increasing anthropogenic strain has resulted in at the least 10 fatalities in crocodile assaults up to now yr.

The crocodile conservation programme by captive breeding began in India round 1974-75 after indiscriminate killing and habitat loss pushed the inhabitants of estuarine crocodiles to the brink of extinction. The government-run programme was launched in Odisha in collaboration with UNDP and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1975. 

This coupled with different measures, together with notification of Bhitarkanika as a wildlife sanctuary, contributed considerably to the revival of the inhabitants within the subsequent twenty years. As the quantity elevated—from simply round 96 in 1974 to over 1,000 in 1995—the Forest Department needed to cease the breeding programme. 

The safety measures put in place, nonetheless, continued to complement the expansion of the estuarine crocodiles. With a head depend of 1,793, Bhitarkanika is now residence to just about 70% of India’s saltwater crocodile inhabitants. However, what has offered an issue is the density of the saltwater crocodile—it has already surpassed the density of 5 to 6 crocodiles per sq. km of water. 

This has began throwing recent challenges primarily on account of equally rising human actions and growing dependency of individuals on Bramhani and Kharasrota rivers in addition to native nullahs and water-bodies in and round Bhitarkanika nationwide park, a vibrant mangrove eco-system of India.

Inadequate family piped water connection within the fringe villages in addition to the pure dependence on the river as a part of socio-cultural behaviour has solely led to escalating conflicts as spillover inhabitants of crocodiles present up close to human habitations. 

The Odisha Forest Department, in response, unfurled a spate of public consciousness programmes to arrest the battle within the river-dependent villages. 

However, specialists really feel the present scenario in Bhitarkanika underlines the necessity for acceptable intervention to encourage human-crocodile coexistence in a sustainable method. Shesdev Patro and Sunil Kumar Padhi, two researchers from Berhampur University in Odisha, of their examine titled ‘Saltwater crocodile and human conflict around Bhitarkanika National Park, India: A rising concern for determining conservation limits’, underlined the necessity to re-think the technique.

“The scenario has risen to an alarming stage where we have to rethink the conservation strategy of the species and develop a suitable management plan for the coexistence of these reptiles and the inhabitants in their surroundings,” the paper mentioned.

The examine authors say the conservation and administration technique of estuarine crocodiles ought to embrace the willpower of the carrying capability of the sanctuary, minimising exploitation of pure sources, relocation of extra inhabitants to different possible websites and native consciousness amongst others.

A girl fetches water from a river infested with crocodiles. Rise in crocodile depend at Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park has led to a surge of human-wildlife battle  | Debadatta Mallick

Herpetologist and scientist from the Zoological Survey of India Pratyush Mohapatra feels the methods should be localised and case-specific in terms of measures required to forestall battle.

He says this can be very necessary to lift consciousness concerning the behaviour of those reptiles and plans to keep away from man-crocodile battle however underlines the necessity for creating fast response groups to relocate crocodiles.

“Mapping the density and spillover population regions is a must besides putting in place rapid response teams by the Forest department. These teams must respond within two to three hours and be equipped with infrastructure,” Mohapatra says.

Experts level out that well timed intervention is extraordinarily necessary which in any other case could have an effect on conservation because it occurred in southern Indian states the place the presence of saltwater crocodile species has dwindled.

BHUBANESWAR: India’s saltwater crocodile conservation programme, one of many success tales within the final 48 years, is gazing new challenges. From native extinction in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to proposals up to now to delist the salties within the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it has reached a degree the place dialogue on scientific administration is crying out for consideration.

The rising battle in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park is the latest addition to the conservation administration debate. A rising density of reptiles and the ever-increasing anthropogenic strain has resulted in at the least 10 fatalities in crocodile assaults up to now yr.

The crocodile conservation programme by captive breeding began in India round 1974-75 after indiscriminate killing and habitat loss pushed the inhabitants of estuarine crocodiles to the brink of extinction. The government-run programme was launched in Odisha in collaboration with UNDP and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1975. googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

This coupled with different measures, together with notification of Bhitarkanika as a wildlife sanctuary, contributed considerably to the revival of the inhabitants within the subsequent twenty years. As the quantity elevated—from simply round 96 in 1974 to over 1,000 in 1995—the Forest Department needed to cease the breeding programme. 

The safety measures put in place, nonetheless, continued to complement the expansion of the estuarine crocodiles. With a head depend of 1,793, Bhitarkanika is now residence to just about 70% of India’s saltwater crocodile inhabitants. However, what has offered an issue is the density of the saltwater crocodile—it has already surpassed the density of 5 to 6 crocodiles per sq. km of water. 

This has began throwing recent challenges primarily on account of equally rising human actions and growing dependency of individuals on Bramhani and Kharasrota rivers in addition to native nullahs and water-bodies in and round Bhitarkanika nationwide park, a vibrant mangrove eco-system of India.

Inadequate family piped water connection within the fringe villages in addition to the pure dependence on the river as a part of socio-cultural behaviour has solely led to escalating conflicts as spillover inhabitants of crocodiles present up close to human habitations. 

The Odisha Forest Department, in response, unfurled a spate of public consciousness programmes to arrest the battle within the river-dependent villages. 

However, specialists really feel the present scenario in Bhitarkanika underlines the necessity for acceptable intervention to encourage human-crocodile coexistence in a sustainable method. Shesdev Patro and Sunil Kumar Padhi, two researchers from Berhampur University in Odisha, of their examine titled ‘Saltwater crocodile and human conflict around Bhitarkanika National Park, India: A rising concern for determining conservation limits’, underlined the necessity to re-think the technique.

“The scenario has risen to an alarming stage where we have to rethink the conservation strategy of the species and develop a suitable management plan for the coexistence of these reptiles and the inhabitants in their surroundings,” the paper mentioned.

The examine authors say the conservation and administration technique of estuarine crocodiles ought to embrace the willpower of the carrying capability of the sanctuary, minimising exploitation of pure sources, relocation of extra inhabitants to different possible websites and native consciousness amongst others.

A girl fetches water from a river infested with crocodiles. Rise in crocodile depend at Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park has led to a surge of human-wildlife battle  | Debadatta Mallick

Herpetologist and scientist from the Zoological Survey of India Pratyush Mohapatra feels the methods should be localised and case-specific in terms of measures required to forestall battle.

He says this can be very necessary to lift consciousness concerning the behaviour of those reptiles and plans to keep away from man-crocodile battle however underlines the necessity for creating fast response groups to relocate crocodiles.

“Mapping the density and spillover population regions is a must besides putting in place rapid response teams by the Forest department. These teams must respond within two to three hours and be equipped with infrastructure,” Mohapatra says.

Experts level out that well timed intervention is extraordinarily necessary which in any other case could have an effect on conservation because it occurred in southern Indian states the place the presence of saltwater crocodile species has dwindled.