VNC’s Charotar Crocodile Count born in 2013 is designed to bring together a diverse set of participants and indulge them in monitoring Mugger crocodiles in the Charotar region of Gujarat, and let them understand the importance of muggers and wetlands in the present-day conservation scenario. This voluntary-based initiative while helping us to gain a better understanding of crocodile’s status and distribution across the Charotar region and providing participants an opportunity to meet people who live alongside crocodiles, also aims to build an understanding of the subject amongst the participants.
Image credits:
Voluntary Nature Conservancy
Counting crocodiles for conservation
Year of Initiation:
2013
Project Coordinator:
Anirudhkumar Vasava
E-mail Address:
Role in the project:
Founder & Coordinator
Institutional Affiliation:
Voluntary Nature Conservancy
Taxa:
Crocodiles
Status:
Active
No. of participants:
500 - 1000
Geographical spread of project:
Gujarat
Further information:
Our project covers the wetland ecosystems in the districts of Anand and Kheda in Central Gujarat.
Purpose of the project:
While primarily focusing on creating a baseline of status and distribution of mugger crocodiles in Charotar, this program also aims to build awareness on the importance of conserving crocodile and their habitats and to inculcate a holistic understanding of the human-crocodile relations amongst the participants.
Coordinating institution/organisation:
Voluntary Nature Conservancy
Location of the coordinating institution/organisation(s):
Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand
Data Availability:
Reports are published on the program website
Participation in language other than English:
No
Appropriate age groups of participants:
Adults (21 yrs and above)
Citizen participation through:
Paper participation, Website
Why should people participate:
• Charotar Crocodile Count provides an ideal opportunity to firsthand observe the crocodiles in wild, co-existing alongside humans without much conflict.
• The programs also provide participants an opportunity to meet the local people who live alongside crocodiles and understand why Charotar’s people love crocodiles.
• Participants learn various tools for monitoring crocodiles and their habitat.
Prior knowledge or expertise required:
No prior knowledge is required.