Identifying conservation needs in India’s offshore waters

The report, a first of its kind in India, is a biodiversity atlas of the Indian waters in the Exclusive Economic Zone and overlays available GIS data on oceanic species and habitats, sea grass, seamounts and charismatic megafauna like dolphins, whales and turtles to recommend conservation and management for some areas. This data is converted into easy to read maps of the region that highlight the ecological and biological aspects of the two million square kilometers of ocean for which India has economic rights and environmental responsibilities.