Latest news with #CentreforWildlifeStudies
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
La Nina likely to aggravate Goa's plastic waste menace
Panaji : A silent drift unfolded off Goa's coast between March 20 and April 10 this year. Pink and red specks began dotting satellite images — not signs of marine life, but clusters of floating plastic. Over a 10km-long stretch along the shoreline, these clusters map a grim and growing reality: Goa's seas and rivers are turning into plastic tides. While alarming, a deeper oceanographic force could intensify this problem. A new study by WWF India suggests that currents influenced by La Nina — a large-scale climate pattern that alters global weather, along with the northeasterly monsoon winds, could push floating plastic debris into Goa's nearshore and estuarine waters. 'La Nina strengthens the northeasterly monsoon winds over the Indian subcontinent. This, in turn, intensifies westward surface currents in the northern Arabian Sea,' said G Areendran, director, tech for conservation, WWF India. 'These stronger currents can carry floating plastic toward Goa's coast.' 'Once near estuaries like the Zuari, Mandovi, and Talpona, the debris can get trapped and even recirculate into the coastal zone, especially during dry winter months when rivers discharge less freshwater.' Areendran and his team are leading an ongoing WWF India study under the wildlife tech incubator programme of the Centre for Wildlife Studies, funded by the Ashraya Hastha trust. The project, titled remote sensing and machine learning-based detection of floating offshore plastic debris in coastal Goa, combines open-source satellite data with machine learning to identify plastic debris in coastal waters. Researchers aim to create a WebGIS dashboard by Aug 2025 for real-time plastic monitoring. So far, the team has tracked floating plastic till April. The data shows troubling concentrations within 10km of Goa's shore, especially near Panaji, Mormugao, and Margao. These clusters often form in convergence zones — areas where winds and currents meet and trap surface debris. Some of the heaviest plastic build-up was found near the Mandovi and Zuari rivers. These rivers drain highly urbanised areas — including Panaji and Mormugao — and carry untreated plastic waste directly into the sea. 'In February, heatmap analysis showed dense clusters of plastic near the Zuari estuary and Panaji. The Mandovi river, being the largest in Goa, contributes significantly to plastic accumulation near Miramar beach,' said Areendran. Further north, moderate to high debris levels were recorded offshore near Calangute, Tivim, and Pernem — areas that experience high seasonal tourist footfall and storm-water runoff. In South Goa, plastic tended to accumulate off Betul, Talpona, and Canacona, where swirling tidal currents create circular flows that trap floating waste. 'River-borne plastic is a key driver in how and where debris gathers along the coast,' Areendran added. 'Even the inland hinterlands are now showing plastic presence in coastal waters, pointing to unregulated waste flowing through smaller rivers and drains.' Goa may be India's smallest state, but it generates the highest per capita plastic waste in the country. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Goa produced nearly 12kg of plastic waste per person annually in 2019-20. Tourism, one of the state's key economic engines, also contributes significantly to the problem. A study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) found that Goa's most popular beaches — Calangute, Anjuna, and Baga — recorded the highest levels of plastic litter in the country. At peak levels, plastic waste reached up to 25g per metre of beach, with a total litter density of over 200g per sqm. WWF's current project is not just focused on mapping the pollution. The initiative aims to support the protection of Goa's critical coastal habitats. These include nesting grounds for the Olive Ridley turtle and marine biodiversity zones already under pressure from microplastics and tourism-driven waste. Researchers hope the study will help policy makers act since without timely intervention, Goa's scenic coastline — once a magnet for biodiversity and clean tourism — risks becoming a permanent dumping ground for floating plastic.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Study emphasises need for improved healthcare infrastructure for villages near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
A recent study conducted by the Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) in 35 villages near the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Tamil Nadu emphasises the urgent need for improved healthcare infrastructure, including access to clean water, sanitation, and health insurance coverage for the marginalised populations living there. The research study, titled 'Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to health and well-being in a forest fringe community in southern India', published in BMC Public Health, draws on data collected between 2021 and 2022 through semi-structured interviews in 322 households across 35 villages near MTR. 'This research study reveals that healthcare practices in these rural communities are influenced by a complex interaction of environmental, social, and cultural factors. In villages located within the core zone of the MTR, there is a marked reliance by people on traditional knowledge and practices for preventing and treating health conditions. Despite lower levels of formal education, these communities demonstrate a high degree of awareness of health risks, particularly regarding lifestyle-related chronic diseases. However, they were less aware of risks from zoonotic and vector-borne diseases,' according to CWS. Respondents self-reported a mix of chronic (62%) and acute (31%) health issues, with undiagnosed fever being the most reported acute ailment (57%). Chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, were reported by 62% of respondents and were more prevalent in villages in the buffer and boundary zones that are closer to urban areas. 'While our study population seemed to suffer mainly from lifestyle-related chronic illnesses, the low self-reported incidences of tuberculosis, a chronic disease with high national prevalence, and sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder with high prevalence in tribal populations of southern India, were unexpected findings that need deeper investigation,' said Dr. Bindu Raghavan, lead author of the study. 'A key insight is the community's reliance on a wide range of healthcare options. The study found that 63% of respondents preferred government healthcare services for primary care, while 30% opted for private facilities for surgical procedures. Education levels were a key determinant in healthcare access, with individuals with higher education being more likely to utilise clinical healthcare services. Meanwhile, those with lower education levels often turned to traditional healers or avoided medical care altogether,' according to CWS. According to the study, a majority (76%) expressed satisfaction with public services, citing dignified treatment (64%) and regular visits from healthcare workers as reasons for seeking care. The study also identifies systemic barriers that hinder healthcare access, such as inadequate infrastructure. 'For instance, 15% of respondents reported spending more than a month's income on healthcare services. Furthermore, marginalised groups, particularly women and low-income households, face additional challenges in accessing healthcare, exacerbating health disparities in these communities,' according to CWS.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
New study reveals how lion-tailed macaque strategically uses its habitat amidst increasing human pressures
In a new study, the Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) has shed light on how the endangered and endemic lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) selectively and strategically uses its habitat in response to increasing human pressures. The study titled 'Highs and lows of arboreal life: Space use and movement strategies of lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) in the Western Ghats of India' conducted in the Silent Valley National Park highlights how differences in forest management and human presence can shape animal behavior even within protected areas with similar forest structure. Fewer than 4,000 The lion-tailed macaque is found only in the Western Ghats with fewer than 4,000 individuals remaining and the Silent Valley National Park is a stronghold for its conservation. In the study led by Sikha Hariharan, a Doctoral Fellow at CWS, examined spatial ecology and movement-based habitat selection of two lion-tailed macaque troops living in areas with differing levels of human presence within the boundaries of the park. The CWS scientists tracked two troops of macaques, one in the boundary or buffer zone and another in the core zone of the National Park. They combined GPS tracking, vertical space use assessment, and advanced movement modelling to study how the macaques utilised the space around them, both high in the canopy and across the forest floor, one in the boundary or buffer zone and another in the core zone. The CWS said that the study troop living in the buffer of the protected area maintained a smaller home range and spent nearly all the time (94.2%) in the mid-level forest canopy. 'Their avoidance of the lowest forest strata suggests a strategic response to ecological factors and increased risks from humans, predators, or other disturbance. In contrast, the interior troops showed greater use of the forest floor with large parties descending to the ground and occupied a much larger home range,' the CWS said. Ecological flexibility It added that while both troops spent the majority of their time mid-canopy, the more terrestrial behavior of the core-area, interior forest troop highlights a level of ecological flexibility not previously attributed to this species, which has long been considered strictly arboreal. The macaques also demonstrated consistent patterns in their use of space near key resources such as fruiting trees and dense canopy patches. Ms. Hariharan said that an animal's movement reflects how it perceives its environment and balances food, safety, and survival, and is usually the first visible indicator of any response to changes around them. Understanding risk 'While terrestriality or usage of the ground was only attributed to macaque populations in degraded habitats, our study found that even in the absence of disturbances, the macaques routinely explore and use the forest floor. However, these also have their risks in terms of exposure to threats, so it is essential to prioritize continuous canopy connectivity, and even more critical to incorporate three-dimensional space use in wildlife conservation planning,' Ms. Hariharan said.
