Gujarat Ecology Society

Programmes

Coastal & Marine Ecology

The MoES has awarded a project “Studies on the likely impact of the proposed Kalpasar Project on the ecology, fishery and the socio-economic aspects of the coastal community of the Gulf of Khambhat”, jointly, to CIFE (Central Institute of Fisheries Education), Mumbai and GES.
The objectives of the three year study are; the impact of proposed Kalpasar Project on the Gulf of Khambhat, the pollution load into the Gulf and, the impact of conversion into freshwater lake on the fishery of the region and its effect on the socio-economic aspects of the community.

Benchmark Survey of the coastal and marine environments of Gujarat was conducted in four stages viz. the Gulf of Kachchh, the Gulf of Khambhat, the Saurashtra Coast and the South Gujarat Coast. These comprehensively cover the physico-chemical, biological and socio-economic aspects. The information contained in four volumes includes the latest primary data and is published as a concise book titled 'Coastal and Maritime Environments of Gujarat: Ecology and Economics'.

Collection and compilation of physico- chemical, biological and socio-economic data for the Gulf of Kachchh and the Gulf of Khambhat as part of the Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Programme (ICMAM), a World Bank aided project of the Department of Ocean Development, Government of India.

The pioneering work of underwater video-documentation of Coral Reefs of the Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kachchh, brought out in the form of two reports and two audio video-documentaries one of 18 minutes and the other of 26 minutes, together covering 14 reefs of the gulf. Further, a monograph on the coral reefs of the Gulf of Kachchh has also been published.

Environmental Monitoring of the Narmada Estuary and offshore region off Dahej: The Gulf of Khambhat receives treated wastewater from the industries in the region. GES has undertaken seasonal studies on environmental monitoring in the Gulf of Khambhat off Dahej covering the area of sub-sea effluent release points and other stations. The project is mainly aimed at studying physical, chemical, and biological aspects of offshore water covering three seasons.

Environmental Monitoring of Tapi estuary and offshore region off Hajira: The Tapi estuarine system and adjacent nearshore water of Gulf of Khambhat receives treated wastewater from industrial installations. GES has undertaken seasonal studies on environmental monitoring in the Tapi estuary and adjacent nearshore waters of Gulf of Khambhat. The project is mainly aimed at seasonally studying physical, chemical, and biological aspects of offshore water.

Ecology of Saurashtra coast, sponsored by Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, this project aims to survey intertidal zone of Saurashtra coast from Dwarka to Bhavnagar and identify areas with rich marine biodiversity. The analysis of physico-chemical parameters along the intertidal area and the interrelationship of benthic flora-fauna are under investigation. It is proposed to document and map the findings for future reference. Socio-economics of the sites are also under active consideration for drawing management plans.

Survey for prospects of mangrove plantation in and around Block CB-OS/2 in Gulf of Khambhat were carried out to study the feasibility to restore the lost and/or damaged mangrove vegetation at a suitable location. Under this study four coastal talukas of Bhavnagar district and the three coastal talukas of Surat district were surveyed to ascertain the extant flora and fauna along with physico-chemical parameters of water and soil.

Narmada Estuary - 2000 and beyond: This study was conducted to examine water quality of the estuary in an attempt to evaluate the eventual changes that can be expected to have taken place during the last two decades of the second millennium. The project was mainly aimed at collecting data and information on physical, chemical, biological, socio-economic and management aspects of Narmada estuarine region. The above parameters determine the quality of water, particularly, physico-chemical parameters, phytoplankton and zooplankton to indicate the change in the water quality. The study will serve as a baseline to develop Decision Support System for the assessment and sustainable management of critical habitat resources - both environmentally and socially.

Assessment of reef associated biota along Gulf of Kachchh: The project aimed at understanding the ecological values of the coral reef ecosystem at the Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat State. The one-year project was sponsored by the PADI Foundation, USA. The impact of port activities, crude oil imports and from high natural sedimentation rates in this ecosystem were studied.

Development of environmental indicators for Gulf of Kachchh: The aim of this project sponsored by the World Bank through Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR) was to identify suitable environmental indicators for coastal zone of Gujarat. An attempt was made to interpret the parameters like dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand and zooplankton utilizing available data on coastal waters of Gujarat from various agencies

Surat Port Study - Paleoecology of Swally Hole Area: The aim of this project was to discover the location of the early port at Swally Hole (or Swally Marine), together with the topography of the local area, near the present day city of Surat. The project comprised the material remains concerning the early European presence in Surat to locate the original harbour and the paleoecology of the Swally Hole area. The biomarkers such as Foraminifera and pollen grains were separated from the sediment samples in the study area and subjected to 14C technique for age determination. Comparison was made between 18th century old and new maps and toposheets to examine the eventual shoreline shift during the last 4 centuries.

Rapid Assessment of earthquake damage in the coastal and marine areas of Gujarat: The earthquake that shook the whole state on 26 January 2001 severely affected 8 districts. Among them five (Kachchh, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Bhavnagar) districts are lying in the coastal belt. These coastal districts have ecologically important habitats like coral reefs, mangroves, mudflats, creeks, estuaries etc. During the quake, various geomorphological and ecological changes occurred in these natural habitats. The coastal districts are also marked by important industrial centres like Jamnagar, ports of Kandla, Pipavav, Navlakhi, and fisheries centres like Jakhau and Veraval. To assess the extent of damage a rapid survey was carried out at all the affected coastal districts.

Marine Ecological Study in the Arabian Sea Along West Saurashtra Coast included compilation and collation of information on distribution, abundance, and habitats of and threats to marine mammals, birds, herpetofauna, fish, mangroves and corals in the Arabian Sea along the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat.

To study "Impact of industrial pollution on microbial diversity of Narmada estuary region of Gujarat" is undertaken by the GES in collaboration with R&B school of Bioscience of Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidhyanagar. The three years project is sponsored by Department of Science & Technology. The main aim of the project is to determine microbial indicators of industrial pollution and microbial diversity indices in the sediment and water of Narmada estuary.

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