Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 242535398

Fans on the rocks: documentation and conservation of octocoral fauna along the rocky shores of West Indian shelf

The project will cover the coastal regions of West Indian shelf (Konkan coastal belt), particularly the rocky shores and patchy reefs of the state of Maharashtra, India. The region is a narrow coastal belt about 720 km long, sandwiched between the Arabian Sea to the west and Western Ghats to the east. The target species Menella indica, Gray 1870, was first described from Back Bay, Mumbai, India. Since its description, the true identity and extent of distribution remains unknown that the species is not reported outside the type locality. The rocky habitat (intertidal and shallow-water) of the species is known to be highly disturbed and fragmented by natural (shore erosion) and anthropogenic impacts (coastal developments, pollution, oil spills). Besides the presence of M. indica, the habitat also harbours a rich diversity of hard corals, octocorals, sea anemones, echinoderms, juvenile sharks, fishes and other vulnerable marine taxa. 

            Using the target species (gorgonian) as a model, the project has a broad aim of informing conservation actions towards protecting poorly-known yet highly vulnerable intertidal regions of the western coastal shelf of India and elsewhere. The project findings will ultimately lead to the formation of a protected area in the region in the form of a marine community reserve. This will be achieved through the following objectives: 1) to map the extent of distribution of Menella indica within and beyond the type locality, i.e., the intertidal and patchy coral reef ecosystems of Western India; 2) to understand habitat associations of the target species and interactions with associated organisms; 3) to assess threats to gorgonians and intertidal ecosystem thereby informing a cautionary tale of a conservation priority area; 4) to determine extinction risk based on IUCN Red List Guidelines and develop draft Red List assessments for the major gorgonian species of the region; 5) to understand stakeholder (e.g., fishers) compliance and constraints towards developing a community reserve; and 6) to build local capacity to take up long-term monitoring of the target species and the ecosystem.