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(March 12, 2024) The following content is collected from public information and does not represent the views of WCS-India.  Important Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) news from India: 1. Forest departments from the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha conducted a seizure of 2.7 kg pangolin scales and one live pangolin at Nagalbod village, along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha state border, near the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. Three poachers were arrested; Link 2. Odisha Forest Department seized 132 parakee...

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(March 11, 2024) Dr. Anant Pande and R. Surya from our Marine program participated in the ‘Interdepartmental Coordination Workshop on Dugong Conservation’ organised by the Thanjavur Forest Division on 1st March 2024. Anant presented a talk titled "Exploring Emerging Tools for Dugong and Seagrass Conservation in Palk Bay" at the workshop. The workshop was attended by over 50 representatives from various departments such as the Police, Tourism, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Marine Police and s...

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(March 08, 2024) North Bengal comes together to protect Hornbill species | The Statesman  North Bengal organised a three-day workshop with participants from the region and neighbouring areas to create a conservation plan for five hornbill species, three of them globally threatened. The plan includes strategies for population surveys, habitat protection, community involvement, and awareness initiatives, uniting officials, scientists, and community members to address the vulnerability of hornbills in the a...

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(March 04, 2024) WCS-India's Counter Wildlife Trafficking team in collaboration with the Meghalaya Forest Department organised a two-day Wildlife Crime Detection & Law Enforcement workshop from 27th - 28th February 2024. The workshop delved into legal aspects, covering an overview of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and its recent amendments, insights into CITES, and a session on identifying commonly traded species. The sessions were led by Advocate Lovish Sharma from the New Delhi High Court and CWT...

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(March 01, 2024) India, four other nations plan coordinated crackdown on wildlife traffickers using Interpol channels | The Hindu India, along with Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, is uniting to combat wildlife trafficking by sharing intelligence on traffickers and disrupting financial flows. The focus is on air cargo routes from Africa to Southeast Asia, with over 50 wildlife seizures reported in India in 2022. The collaboration aims to coordinate actions and enhance Interpol capabilities again...

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(February 29, 2024) Dr. Vishnupriya Sankararaman, along with the WCS-India Communications team, conducted a workshop on “Ecology and Science Communication in India” at Christ University, Central Campus - Bengaluru, on 24th January 2024. The workshop was aimed at providing exposure to media studies students on scientific research and ways in which it can be conveyed to a wider audience. The talks touched on Vishnupriya’s research in agroforestry landscapes, as well as on BlueMAP-India, a...

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(February 29, 2024) Avantika Deep Sharma and Sabiya Sheikh from The Dhole Project at WCS-India recently attended and presented the team’s work at the 3rd Annual Research Conference organised by the Advanced Institute for Conservation Research in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. This conference brought together individuals and institutions engaged in research within Tamil Nadu, including state forest officials. Its primary objective was to foster discussions on the prioritisation of managem...

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(February 26, 2024) On February 16, 2024, Radha Pennathur and Manish Machaiah from the WCS-India’s Communications and Outreach team hosted a Visual Storytelling session at Christ (Deemed to be University), Yeshwantpur campus in Bengaluru. With examples from their own body of work and those that inspired them, Radha delved into the intricacies of storytelling through art and design, while Manish provided insights into audiovisual storytelling. The session, spanning two hours, saw enthusiastic participation fr...

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(February 23, 2024) Six wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka to be recommended for being declared ecologically sensitive areas | The Hindu Karnataka's recent decision to recommend six wildlife sanctuaries and surrounding areas as ecologically sensitive zones signals a key step in the country's conservation efforts. This move highlights the government's commitment to protecting biodiversity, addressing human-wildlife conflict, and fostering collaboration between communities, conservationists, and the gov...

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(February 21, 2024) R. Surya, Project Assistant for Marine Megafauna, delivered a compelling talk on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity on 12 February 2024, at the Advance Institute for Wildlife Conservation (Research, Training & Education) in Vandalur, Chennai. The training program focusing on 'Inland, Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation - Issues and Challenges' and was attended by 22 officer trainees (Inspector cadre) from the Fisheries Department, Tamil Nadu.

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