7TH Charotar Crocodile Count Counting Crocodile for Conservation 3rd-5th January 2020 Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat Voluntary Nature Conservancy 2 www.vncindia.org 7th Charotar Crocodile Count-2020 Counting crocodile for Conservation rd th 3 -5 January 2020 A Citizen Science Initiative By Voluntary Nature Conservancy IN COLLABORATION WITH Suggested Citation: Voluntary Nature Conservancy (2020). 7th Charotar Crocodile Count- 2020, Voluntary Nature Conservancy, VallabhVidyanagar, Gujarat, India. Pp. 24. Report Design & Preparation: Anirudh Vasava PROGRAM PARTNERS OUR SUPPORTERS Cover Photo: Anirudh Vasava Back Cover Photo: Shubham Parmar Voluntary Nature Conservancy 101- Radha Darshan, Behind Union Bank of India, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388120 Duleep Matthai Conservancy Nature Voluntary Jai Suthar / Photo By: Nature Conservation Trust 2 Gujarat, India [email protected] / www.vncindia.org / Phone No. - (+91) 9898142170 WHAT’S CHAROTAR CROCODILE IMPORTANCE OF CHAROTAR REGION CROCODILE POPULATION ASSESMENT HOW DOES THIS CROC COUNT HELPS? COUNT? METHOD? The count provides an ideal opportunity to un- Charotar Crocodile Count, born in 2013, is an Charotar region is significant for sustenance of mug- VNC uses an approach called “Citizen Science” to derstand the significance of biodiversity and how annual event, designed to bring together a diverse ger population of Charotar and for meta-population count crocodiles in Charotar. Citizen Science is an villagers harmoniously coexist with muggers. set of participants to understand the importance of of Central Gujarat. The region is also an important exciting, multifaceted way to bring people from all muggers and wetland in the present day conserva- dispersal and breeding ground for muggers between walks of life together for research and conservation. the meta-populations in Central Gujarat. The re- tion scenario. This voluntary based initiative while -It also helps participants understand the intimate gion not only hosts an important population of helping us to gain a better understanding of croc- For crocodile counts, a team of 5-12 volunteer, de- relationship local communities share with ecosys- muggers but also multitude of fascinating rich faunal odile’s status and distribution across the Charotar pending on the size of the water body to be surveyed, tem and understand how muggers indirectly man- diversity, especially birds. Notable is the largest pop- region and providing participants an opportunity to was allocated to various villages. The crocodile sur- age ecosystem by functioning as keystone species. meet people who live alongside crocodiles, aims at ulation of Sarus cranes in the state that survives in veys were carried out using the “Day/Basking Survey”, inculcating a holistic understanding of the subject Charotar, and other parts of Anand-Kheda districts. wherein the participants scanned the wetland from a amongst the participants, who can then become However, the reason this population is important suitable vantage point for the presence of crocodiles the ambassador of conservation in their respective is that this population does not survive in any for- on the edge of water, basking areas and in water, and -All relevant information on population observed regions. This program is first of its kind in Gujarat ested or protected area but in village pond and ca- collected information on the number of individual, during the count will shared with concerned au- and has generated a very useful population data nals amongst the humans. And the most intriguing size, location and activity (if any). The surveys began thorities for the management purposes. over the years (2013-2019), which is being used by aspect of these population is that the muggers and after 8:30 AM and continued till 2:00 PM. wildlife managers, researchers and conservation or- the villagers survive along each other without much ganisations alike. conflicts, setting a fine example of what we know as” co-existence”. Mahi Irrigation Project irrigates large areas in this region, and therefore an intensive irrigation canal network interlinks most of the wa- ter bodies. This extensive network of canal acts as travelling routes for the dispersing crocodiles, and thus favours genetic exchange. These wetlands serve as a lifeline for agriculture in and around the landscape. Moreover, this population is very much safe compared to other population where habitat destruction and negative attitudes threatens their survival. Our earlier surveys have found that there exists a high tolerance of muggers amongst the people of Charotar. This ecological di- versity and richness, in synergy with ecological ser- vices, acts as a lifeline for the people living in the region corridor. In order to secure this rich socio - ecological heritage, understanding and working to- wards protecting this area and the social habitaing this are corridor is of critical importance. 2 Photo By: Anirudh Vasava Anirudh Photo By: 1 2 ARTICIPANT S EMOGRAPHY P ’ D Above 35 10 31-35 8 Uttarakhand 1 26-30 19 1 Odisha 18-25 77 Maharashtra 3 Fig 3: Age-wise particpation of individuals. Madhya Pradesh 2 Karnataka 3 Gujarat 75 Goa 3 Delhi 1 Daman & Diu 3 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 3 67 47 Chhattisgarh 19 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 th 114Participants Fig 1: Statewise particiaption of individuals in the 7 Charotar Crocodile Count 2020. Doctor 1 Businessman 7 Dentist 1 States9 Environment Educators 2 Graphic Designers 3 Lecturers 4 Media Professionals 1 Pharmacist 4 Researchers (Wildlife & Zoology) 10 2UT’s Students 74 Teachers 7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2 Fig 2: Profession/career wise participation of individuals. Photo Anirudh Vasava by: 3 4 HOW MANY DID YOU COUNT? Most of the crocodile sightings came from 12 villages, with 114Participants nearly one third of the population (52/164) reported from 2Days Villages22 Visited 30Wetlands Surveyed Deva village alone. Significant populations (>10 individuals) were reported from places like Malataj (21), Petli (13), Dab- hou (13), Heranj (23) & Vaso (10). The crocodile populations in Charotar is highly dynamic in response to season, water-level fluctuation and human dis- turbances. Visibility, size of the wetland, presence of vegeta- 164Crocodiles Sighted tion and experience of the observer also affects the croc- odile counting. So this survey is not conclusive enough, and results should be viewed taking the aformentioned factors into account. Table 1: Population estimation of mugger crocodiles ( Crocodylus palustris) in various villages of Charotar region, Gujarat, India during the 7th Charotar Crocodile Count 2020 Villages >3 mts 2-3 mts 1-2 mts <1 mts Unknown Tot a l Deva 5 3 18 2 24 52 Petli 1 3 5 0 4 13 Changa 0 0 0 1 0 1 Malataj 0 2 11 4 4 21 Dabhou 0 3 5 1 4 13 Marala-Naghrama 0 4 0 0 3 7 Heranj 2 12 3 6 0 23 Khandhali 0 2 0 1 0 3 Laval 0 1 1 0 0 2 Bhadkad 0 1 2 0 0 3 Tr aj 1 4 1 0 0 6 Tr an ja 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kathoda 0 0 0 0 0 0 Devataj 0 0 0 0 0 0 HOW BIG WERE THE CROCDILES? Sojitra 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gada 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dali 0 0 0 0 0 0 Navagam 0 0 1 4 0 5 Pij 0 2 1 2 0 5 24<1 m 501-2 m 382-3 m 10>3 m Unknown42 Size Vaso 1 1 2 3 3 10 2 Sub-Tot a l 10 38 50 24 42 164 5 6 Nature ConservancyVolintary Photo By: COMPARISION OF CROCODILE COUNT DATA (2013-2020) 10 Vaso 78 4 6 January (2020) 6 13 164 Traj 4 12 17 8 10 January (2019) 159 Sojitra 123 12 131 5 January (2018) Pij 23 2 13 January (2017) 163 Petli 10 14 0 1112 4 January (2016) 116 Nandoli 0 0 5 January (2015) 130 Navagam 0 01 7 December (2013) 99 Marala-Nagrama 7 10 January (2020) 2 13 25 9 January (2019) Maliyataj 01 0 30 60 90 120 150 180 012 January (2018) 21 Malataj 10 16 19 January (2017) Fig 4: Population estimates of mugger crocodiles in Charotar region counted over the years (2013-2020) 10 1415 January (2016) during the Charotar Crocodile Count. Maghrol 0 0 2 January (2015) Macchiyel 01 December (2013) 12 Limbali 0 2 2 Laval 2 45 1 5 8 3 Khandhali 0 4 Kathoda-Tranja 2 45 0 2 23 Heranj 78 20 9 14 Gada 0 Gangapur 0 01 Devataj 0 0 52 Deva 40 59 68 33 43 59 Demol 0 0 Dali 0 0 13 Dabhou 2 4 12 0 2 1 Changa 23 1 4 3 Bhadkad 1 3 012 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Fig 4: Comparision of mugger crocodiles estimated in various villages of Charotar region during the 7th 2 Charotar Crocodile Count (2020) and earlier counts (2013-2019) Photo By: Niyati Patel Photo By: 7 8 The words can’t communicate the delight and honor that VNC felt hav- ing gotten Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh as the chief guest of the 7th Charotar Croc- odile Count 2020. He enthusiastically visited villages such as Petli, Malataj, DR. A.J.T. JOHNSINGH Deva, Heranj and Traj. While glad to see that such a solid populace sur- vives in such human dominated area, he was similarly happy to observe THE HONORABLE UEST the peaceful co-existance among human and crocodile in Charotar. He G apprecited the work that VNC does here in Charotar and offered very valuable suggestion for sustaining the crocodile population and manage- ment of habitat. He was also happy to see a healthy population of sarus crane here in Charotar. He was facilitated by VNC for his commitment to conservation of wild- life in India with a memento, presented to him by Dr.