Every two out of five species of amphibians are threatened with extinction (Leudtke et al., 2023), making them the most threatened vertebrate group in the world. India harbours 5% of the world’s amphibian diversity, and over 195 species of a total of 475 species (Frost, 2025) are threatened with extinction. More than 240 new amphibians have been described since the year 2000 at a rate of 10 species per year. With most of the research on amphibians confined to new species discovery and/or taxonomic revision, very little has been worked on ecology, and on-ground conservation poses a unique challenge. Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology proposes to work in the species-rich Western Ghats, across both human-shaped landscapes and protected areas, testing the hypothesis that land-use/land-cover change and climate change are impacting amphibians. The study will include well-structured long-term monitoring of endemic, endangered, and the most common amphibian species. They will conduct hands-on workshops on identification, bioacoustics (recording and analysis), ecology, and monitoring of amphibians. They will develop an AI-based mobile application for the identification and storage of acoustic records. Additionally, this project applies the concept of Batracharium to privately owned agroforest habitats, and they plan to develop an engaging bilingual handbook on amphibians for the locals.
The Montecincla jerdoni, an endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats, is restricted to high-elevation Shola forests in the Banasura, Brahmagiri, and Camel’s Hump mountain complex. These fragile ecosystems face severe threats from habitat fragmentation, extreme weather events, and large-scale infrastructure projects, including the proposed Twin Tube Unidirectional Tunnel Road. While direct habitat loss may be limited, prolonged construction, human disturbance, increased traffic, and post-construction tourism could significantly impact the species and its habitat, posing a conservation challenge. Recent landslides in these sensitive mountains have claimed over 300 lives, with 200 people still missing, highlighting the urgent need for environmental conservation and disaster risk mitigation. This project seeks to establish the Banasura Laughingthrush as a flagship species for conservation while fostering community-driven environmental stewardship. To meet this goal, the HUME Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology team will conduct systematic bird surveys, habitat assessments, and evaluate the species' responses to human activities. They will implement a citizen science-based monitoring program, engaging local communities in biodiversity tracking and weather monitoring to enhance disaster preparedness and ecosystem resilience. Through this project, the HUME Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology looks to generate critical ecological data, distribution maps, and long-term biodiversity and climate monitoring, informing habitat protection policies and promoting sustainable conservation strategies that benefit wildlife and local communities.
The Kodagu region of the Western Ghats is a critical watershed for the River Kaveri, which supports incredible endemic biodiversity and provides fresh water for millions of people across southern India. Most of these upland catchments of Kodagu consist of commodity agroforests like coffee, cardamom, and areca plantations. Over the last two decades, these land uses have undergone drastic changes with a reduction in native shade trees and an increase in exotic tree species. This project aims to address these challenges by initiating a community-led research and restoration programme in coffee plantations. Wildlife Conservation Society – India will work with local landowners and stakeholders to identify tree species of high cultural value for restoration in upland catchments. These restoration efforts will be complemented with citizen science to monitor the effect of shade-tree cover on threatened species of fauna, including small mammalian carnivores, frugivorous birds, and endemic amphibians. Camera trap surveys, fruit-tree watches, and acoustic monitoring will be conducted to provide insights into habitat use and the benefits of native shade trees for wildlife. Additionally, by working with landowners and using culturally important tree species, they aim to establish sustained conservation action in the coffee plantations of Kodagu and inform scalable management policies for agroforests across the Western Ghats.
This project aims to improve governance and management of 10000 hectares of community forests through Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) in Assam. Forests in the Assam Hills District (Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council-DHADC) are largely under community ownership, and the protection of forests and other natural resources is traditionally an age-old practice of local communities. CCAs are spread across the hills district and exist in the form of community forests, sacred groves, conservation reserves, wetlands, etc., and are traditionally governed by indigenous community institutions such as the Village Council and Chieftainship. However, DHADC is experiencing erratic rainfall, a change in temperature, and more frequent natural disasters due to climate change. Given these challenges, there is a great need to strengthen and sustain local conservation efforts to mitigate climate change risks, improve carbon sequestration, and support the livelihoods of the rural poor. This project seeks to strengthen the governance and management of CCAs by enhancing the capacities of local communities in planning and executing sustainable management strategies to prevent further CCA degradation. As an outcome, this initiative aims to support forest conservation, biodiversity management and governance, improve jhum management and agro-biodiversity plantations, and protect and manage spring sheds protection/management—thereby improving and maintaining carbon sinks.
While the Ganges River Dolphin is categorised as Endangered on IUCN Red List and included in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, no detailed studies exist on them in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system since 2010. Their survival in this river system is also threatened by accidental killing through entanglement in fishing gear; deliberate killing, generally for dolphin oil; and overexploitation of prey, mainly due to the widespread use of non-selective fishing gear. For their conservation, NEWS has an action plan. They aim to update the population status and map the current distribution of the Ganges River Dolphin and associated faunas like gharial, Smooth- coated Otter, softshell turtle and fishes in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly riverine system. Additionally, they will engage local communities through training and promote sustainable fishing gears to mitigate inadvertent killing of dolphins as bycatch. A Dolphin Conservation Network will also be formed for all stakeholders to interact, and local youths will be trained as stewards for regular monitoring and to generate alternative livelihood means via ecotourism.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are known for their marine diversity, but they are also home to numerous karst land caves – which are not included in the global karst land map. Caves are the most significant landforms in karst lands and have been silent witnesses of Earth’s evolution and the rise of human civilizations. Caves have retained and protected important pieces of Earth’s long and tumultuous geological past. These range from ancient mineral deposits, long-gone oceans and early life forms to unique cave-adapted organisms, extinct megafauna remains and the early manifestation of human art.
For over two decades, it is known that there are close to 400 limestone karstic caves in around 23 islands here. Of these, around 200 caves are protected to save the Edible-nest Swiftlet breeding inside them. These unique limestone caves in the karst lands hold terrestrial and aquatic microhabitats bearing several known and unknown species, and are under tremendous anthropogenic pressure. Also, as caves and other karst geo-forms are very attractive geo-tourism sites, it is essential to have guidelines for their sustainable use as these tropical islands, with harsh climatic conditions, have limited natural resources for economic development.
SACON proposes a sustainable approach for the comprehensive management of cave habitats. The current proposal attempts to understand sustainable strategies for the conservation of the cave habitats at three sites in North and Middle Andaman Islands: Baratang Island, Chalis-ek, and the Interview Island Wildlife Sanctuary of Middle Andaman. These caves are known to bear endemic and threatened fauna (including Andaman Horseshoe Bat and the recently discovered Ravi Sankaran’s Rock Shrimp).
For the same, SACON aims to collect, process and evaluate the data required for preparing the cave conservation plan. They will also identify the constraints, threats, and opportunities for conserving the caves and the surrounding karst areas. Lastly, they will prepare the conservation plan for the select caves and surrounding karst lands. This will be done with a participatory approach with the local communities and will also generate livelihood.
