Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) carries out biodiversity assessment of the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in India
09 March 2010 | News story
The Biodiversity of Kumbhalgarh, Phulwari-ki-Nal and Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuaries, located in the Southern Aravalli Hills, Rajasthan, India, were assessed to make an inventory of the flora and fauna of the area and prepare appropriate conservation action plans by an IUCN member Foundation for Ecological Security (FES).
GIS and Remote Sensing tools were used in selecting the sample grids based on elevation, land use/cover, slope and aspect. Spatial analysis was also carried out to assess various species characteristics, density, distribution, disturbance, threat and priority areas for conservation. Several species in all floral and faunal groups hitherto not recorded have been identified, which include 117 species of lower plants, 837 species of higher plants, 80 species of butterflies, 18 species of spiders, 48 species of herpetofauna, 272 species of avifauna and 45 mammalian species. As many as 19 species of plants, four species of reptiles, 9 species of birds and 7 species of mammals are designated as threatened.
Field data was used to produce maps detailing distribution of each floral and faunal group, distribution of floral and faunal diversity, location of habitat of threatened species, hot spots, etc. This information was used to derive Conservation Action Plans, which included identification of conservation targets such as ecological systems, ecological communities and species of conservation significance for each Protected Area. In addition, critical threats and indicators for monitoring as well as Conservation Action Plans for the villages along the Sanctuaries were also drawn up.
FES has been an IUCN member since 2000, which works towards the ecological restoration and conservation of land and water resources, in the uplands and other eco-fragile, degraded and marginalized zones of the country and to set in place the processes of coordinated human effort and governance.