Objectives

The overall goal of this project was to set up a baseline for biophysical reef monitoring by generating data sets and by drawing on previous coral reef studies and reef assessment programs in two islands of Lakshadweep.

The other objectives of the survey are
1) inventory of corals/associated reef biota based on available literature and generation of new data sets
2) Set up a Database at Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre of WWF-India (an ENVIS Centre on NGOs, Media and Parliament), in public domain eventually linking it with the MOEF’s Indian Coral Reef Monitoring Network (ICRMN)
3) Institutionalisation of coral reef monitoring mechanism.

In the present survey the monitoring could be proceeded to one more island with the final data covering three islands, Kavaratti, Kadmat and Agatti.

The objectives that could be completed in the current report are grouped into four categories:
1) Set up of a baseline for biophysical coral reef monitoring in Kavaratti, Kadmat and Agatti islands of Lakshadweep by generating new data sets
2) Determine the abundance and distribution of coral/associated reef biota
3) characterize the reef habitat along with the inventory resources and 4) access current damage and potential threat from human-population on habitat loss and biodiversity of this ecosystem.

The key components in this project of reef monitoring other than corals like mapping of corals and sea grass, phytoplanktons/zooplanktons, reef fishes, marine turtles, Acanthester planci infestations, boring sponge infestations and rare species were unlikely to ever be surveyed with this precision given time. Apart from this, general information were collected on reef fishes, turtles and Halimeda. Manta towing which is normally done for broadscale monitoring, to develop a broad picture of the reef, to observe unusual phenomena (like blast damage, plaques) and to ensure that more detailed monitoring sites are representative of the whole reef also could not be done which obviously needs extension of the project with time and funds as the term monitoring implies to the repeated survey overtime.

Click to know more:

• Project Abstract
• Oil Spillage
• Pollution
• Coral bleaching
• Highlights of the findings achieved in the project
• Detailed report of work done on the project
• Description of the study areas
• Recommendation including remedial measures
• Impacts of the work on the scientific potential of our country