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Zoological Survey of India to monitor climate impact on Sundarban animals

On The Occasion Of 100 Years Of Zoological Survey Of India, The Institution Has Set Up A Monitoring Bases Inside The Mangrove Forests To Measure The Effect Of Climate Change On The Flora And Fauna Of Sundarbans.

PTI | Updated on: 02 Jul 2015, 02:10:16 PM

Hyderabad:

On the occasion of 100 years of Zoological Survey of India, the institution has set up a monitoring bases inside the mangrove forests to measure the effect of climate change on the flora and fauna of Sundarbans.

The agency has set up 25 plots in the five islands of Bali, Gosaba, Basanti, Sagar and Satjelia to measure the diversity and population index of mangroves, crabs and snails.

“Any change in their population will reveal how climate change is affecting the islands. We will know to what extent the biodiversity is getting affected due to change in the water salinity level and other factors,” project in-charge scientist Bulganin Mitra told PTI.

The monitoring process is an ongoing one and experts are sent to the spot to collect data about their population and species.

“We will also take photographs and prepare a GPS map of their habitat. We will prepare a baseline data of biodiversity. As time passes by we will be able to know whether there is any change in the flora and fauna of the region or not,” he said.

The monitoring bases have so far been established in the buffer zone of the mangrove forest. They have taken permission from the state Forest Department to start more such centres inside the core area of the tiger reserve.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Sundarbans is an archipelago of more than a hundred islands, famous for its mangrove forests and several endangered species like the Royal Bengal Tiger, Ganges and Irawadi dolphins.

The islands are hit hard by constant land erosion and salinity due to rising sea levels.

Hyderabad's Freshwater Biology Regional Centre (FBRC) will on Thursday celebrate 100 years of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The organisation, which completed 100 years on Wednesday, will unveil sculptures and hold discussions with the aim of generating awareness on conservation.

is organising a ‘Centenary Run’ here on Thursday to mark the centenary year celebrations of the ZSI.

The ‘Centenary Run’ will start from the Outer Ring Road at Rajendranagar to FBRC at Attapur, FBRC Deputy Director D V Rao said in a release today.

Established on July 1, 1916, ZSI promotes survey, exploration, research and documentation leading to the advancement in the knowledge on various aspects of animal taxonomy of the Indian sub-continent.

ZSI under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is the pioneer institution on taxonomic studies of faunal diversity in the country and will be celebrating its centenary celebrations from July 2015 to June 2016.

Throughout the year, various programmes like Taxonomy training and workshops, exhibition of aquatic fauna and awareness programmes on wetland biodiversity conservation will be organised, Rao said.

On the Centenary Celebration Function in the third week of July 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting ZSI Headquarters, Kolkata and dedicate the Digital ZSI to the country on 100 years of faunal inventory of India, the release added.

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First Published : 02 Jul 2015, 09:46:00 AM

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