Freshwater Research and Conservation

About us

Northeast India is extremely water-rich, with several rivers and streams crisscrossing the entire biodiverse region. Freshwater habitats, especially rivers and wetlands, have immense socio-ecological, cultural, and economic importance, supporting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people who live along them. Presently, India's freshwater habitats face an array of challenges including overexploitation, scarcity, pollution, alterations in flow patterns, degradation of habitats and connectivity, and the impacts of climate change, which manifest as increased occurrences of droughts and floods. Considering the magnitude of these effects and the significance of freshwater resources, it's imperative to undertake comprehensive and targeted initiatives aimed at safeguarding, preserving, and rejuvenating all forms of freshwater ecosystems, especially by working closely with local communities that depend on these habitats.

Through this working group we aim to develop and strengthen collaborations between local communities, researchers, designers, filmmakers, and science communicators to increase research and awareness on the fate of freshwater habitats, their threatened aquatic biodiversity, and the need for their conservation at site-specific scales. This group also aims to improve awareness on flood disaster management and build informed and prepared communities across different socio-economic strata, which is an urgent need of the hour. By consolidating existing knowledge and support systems, we can support communities currently lacking preparedness and aid during flooding events. Through the Canopy Collective, this WG aims to bring together people across various disciplines to build a flood toolkit repository and help co-develop meaningful ways of conservation of freshwater habitats.

Themes and areas of interest

Ecology and Disaster Management

Flooding ecology of the Brahmaputra River, flood disaster management and preparedness

Conservation

Community conservation of freshwater turtles and their aquatic habitats.

Stewardship

Community stewardship of freshwater habitats incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and community science.

Current projects

Assam Flood Toolkit

The flood toolkit repository hosted on an online platform will serve as a collection of resources for local people of Assam, front-line staff, researchers, and social work practitioners. It will enable people to learn about the flood situation in Assam and help identify approaches for addressing them. By engaging the community to mitigate flood related issues at local scales, we will help bolster the resilience of local communities in response to drastic flooding events through a collaborative approach.

Objectives

Build a multi-media flood toolkit which will serve as a repository of all flood related information for the State of Assam

Co-create flood related science communication and outreach material through community collaborations in Assam

Co-develop short videos on flood disaster management and indigenous knowledge systems on flood preparedness with different communities of Assam

Community conservation of freshwater turtles and their habitats in the north bank of Kaziranga

Through this project we aim to initiate a community led, long term monitoring and conservation program of freshwater turtles and their habitats in the buffer areas of Kaziranga National Park, along the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.

Objectives

To investigate the current status of commonly found turtles in the region, with a special focus on softshell turtles by community members

Regular monitoring of wetlands and turtle populations by community members

Restoration and maintenance of wetland habitats and community ponds in the region

The team

Team members

Tahaj Hussain: An alumnus of the Green Hub India Responsible Tourism Fellowship. A basic human at heart, he loves hugging trees, sees himself as a work in progress, and believes in slow and mindful travel and living.
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Jitendra Deka: An alumnus of the Green Hub India Responsible Tourism Fellowship from Assam. He is a graffiti and mural artist and designer.
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Anuja Mital: A herpetologist and freshwater ecologist from Mumbai, with interests in large river ecology, freshwater habitat management, conservation education and outreach, and community science.
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Parixit Kafley: An alumnus of the Green Hub India Film Fellowship from Gangmouthan, Assam. He has a keen interest in community conservation of biodiversity in general, with a special interest in reptiles.
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Chitish Kafley: A wildlife enthusiast from Gangmouthan, Assam. He is passionate about documenting biodiversity and leading community awareness efforts.
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Pradip Mandal: A naturalist from Gangmouthan, Assam. He holds a Master's degree in Political Science and is passionate about birdwatching. He finds great satisfaction in working for wildlife conservation.
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Paban Mandal: A naturalist from Gangmouthan, Assam, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He is interested in observing activities of turtles and birds.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Support and funding

The flood toolkit project is receiving support and funding from the National Geographic Society, University of Georgia, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropy and Royal Enfield Social Mission.

The community conservation of freshwater turtles project is being supported by the Greenhub Small grant Program, funded by Royal Enfield Social Mission.