(January 31, 2025) ⁠Increase in gibbon trafficking into India has conservationists worried | Mongabay Seizures of trafficked gibbons in India have increased, driven by rising demand for exotic pets, weak enforcement, and porous borders. Captured from the wild, their trade disrupts social structures, causes trauma, and leads to high mortality. Conservationists urge stricter law enforcement, better training, increased awareness, and repatriation of seized gibbons. Social media and growing wealth further fuel the ...

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(January 24, 2025) Seagrass mapping helps identify restoration potential | Mongabay A study in Tamil Nadu's Palk Bay mapped seagrass distribution, identifying healthy areas and those suitable for restoration. The research highlighted 270 hectares of unvegetated seafloor for potential restoration, stressing the importance of combining acoustics and ground-truthing techniques. It also called for eco-friendly restoration methods and stricter enforcement against damaging practices. This study contributes to eff...

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(January 17, 2025) New study proposes roadmap to conserve the clouded leopard | Mongabay A recent study highlights critical gaps in habitat suitability, fragmentation, and connectivity for the clouded leopard, offering a conservation roadmap. It identifies 18 transboundary wildlife corridors vital for genetic diversity, emphasising cooperation, protected area expansion, and reintroduction programmes to safeguard the species and maintain forest ecosystem stability. On the verge of vagrancy: What rare bird s...

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(January 16, 2025) The following content is compiled from publicly available sources and does not represent the views of WCS-India. Reported species in seizure incidents may differ from actual occurrences due to challenges in verifying species identification, geographical differences, and varying levels of detail in local reporting. Please interpret this information within the newsletter with caution, as it may not always reflect precise or validated identification.  We collected and collated 59 illegal wi...

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(January 10, 2025) Forest Department launches app to enhance sea turtle conservation efforts | The Hindu The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has launched the “Tamil Nadu Turtle Guardians" mobile app to track sea turtle nesting and hatchling releases, improving data collection and conservation. During a workshop, experts stressed the need to address habitat loss and protect both nesting sites and migration routes for effective sea turtle conservation.    Government eyes recognising...

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