Discussion on Research and Management of the Coastal and Marine Protected Areas, and Human-Wildlife Conflict in India

09 Mar, 2016

Human capacity development is an important component of GIZ’s CMPA project, under which the project is working with three key sectors in coastal and marine domain- Forest, Fisheries and Media.

One of the strategic goals of the capacity development efforts under the CMPA project is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of coastal and marine biodiversity amongst key sectors and stakeholders to facilitate the co-creation of solutions for effective and sustainable management of coastal and marine protected areas.

For the capacity development of the forest sector, the project focuses on trainings and field expeditions for the field-level staff of the protected areas, senior level managers and decision makers. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is one of the key partners for the trainings of the Marine Protected Area Managers.

Following activities are being carried out under the GIZ-WII partnership:

• Curriculum development process, through which eight-modular training courses and material on coastal and marine issues have been developed for the field-staff of the forest department.
• Trainings of field-staff of the forest department on coastal and marine biodiversity including SCUBA diving trainings.
• Refresher trainings of senior forest officials on coastal and marine issues.
• Trainings of trainers for the faulty and experts, on the use of the curriculum and participatory training methods.
• A special training course on “Management Effectiveness Evaluation of the Coastal and Marine Protected Areas in India.”
• Implementation of strategic environmental assessment approach at one of the wetlands in Gujarat.

Looking at the excellent partnership between GIZ’s CMPA project and WII, there is a possibility of exploring further cooperation in the key emerging issues in biodiversity in India such as protected area management, wildlife management, coastal and marine biodiversity, impact assessment etc.

A four member delegation visited WII, comprising of Dr. David Tantow, India Desk Officer (South Asia Division), Mr. Frank Holtmeier (Country Manager, GIZ Germany), Mr. Guntram Glasbrenner (Country Manager, GIZ Germany) and Dr. Neeraj Khera (Senior Technical Expert Biodiversity, Management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas, GIZ India). The objective of this visit was to get an overview of the GIZ-WII collaborative programmes under the ongoing CMPA project, and the past projects, and also to discuss the key emerging issues in biodiversity in India.

Photo Credit: WII

The meeting was useful in providing the entire spectrum of research and management on protected areas, coastal and marine issues, and human-wildlife conflict in India.