GIS
Habitat loss, pollution, invasive species introduction, and climate change, are all threats to wildlife health and biodiversity. GIS technology is an effective tool for managing, analyzing, and visualizing wildlife data to target areas where interventional management practices are needed and to monitor their effectiveness. GIS helps wildlife management professionals examine and envision wildlife movement and habitat ranges. Understanding the specific needs of wildlife populations is key to preventing local or global extinctions, rehabilitating populations, and restoring habitat. GIS and remote sensing technologies help gain insights into the features of the land under consideration. In the GIS component for CAMPA we would use satellite images and various geospatial layers to prepare land use land cover maps and habitat suitability maps for each species and their habitat. The Thar Desert landscape is one the most challenging landscapes for land cover classification because of spectral mixing in various land cover classes. We are trying to develop a hybrid classification system for this landscape by using both supervised and unsupervised classification schemes under different statistical specifications. The LULC map for Thar Landscape would be crucial in identifying possible areas of species habitat.
Since sea grass beds are habitat for Dugong, sea grass mapping would be essential in identifying dugong habitat in the coast. However, mapping of sea grass is a challenging task because of no penetration of radiation under water. The habitat range of Gangetic Dolphin lies in the entire Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. Analysis of river network connectivity, habitat vulnerability etc would be useful for the conservation planning of the species. Mapping the phumdi (floating grasslands) for habitat suitability assessment in Keibul Lamjao National Park would help in identifying core habitat areas of Sangai.
Last Updated: June 20, 2016