Program
About The Initiative
How to Participate?
Anyone who lives in or visits India can contribute to the database. The online survey will open from 8th Jan 2021, wherein participants can submit sightings and other observations of crocodiles from India. Participants can submit the data throughout year, which will allow us to record the seasonal variations in information.
VNC conducts the Charotar Crocodile Count every year in the month of January, wherein participants from all over India, and even from abroad come to Charotar region to take part in this three-day crocodile count (for more information visit https://ccc20.vncindia.org/ ). However, this year due to the COVID-19 situation, unable to conduct the event the way we planned. This year only VNCs volunteers will conduct the counting. So, we are announcing a new citizen science initiative — Croc Watch, an online portal to submit your reports and observations of crocodiles found in India.
VNC will run a special three-day Croc Watch event, from 8-10 January 2021. Participants who submit data during these special dates will get an e-certificate. Those who want to submit data, must register on our portal.
Data submission can be done throughout the year. The data should be genuine and substantial and for the most active contributors, there are rewards at the end of the year. To be eligible, participants need to systematically survey their nearby wetland, collect observations and submit the data.
More information about the process of submitting data will be provided to participants once the register.
Speakers
Marisa Tellez
Marisa Tellez
Marisa Tellez is the co-founder and Executive Director of the wildlife and science non-profit the Crocodile Research Coalition based in Belize, Central America. Marisa received a BA in Cultural Anthropology and a BS in Zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and received a Master’s and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles studying the ecological and evolutionary interaction between parasites and crocodilians. She also received a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship through the United States government to research the health and biodiversity of crocodilian habitat in Belize. Marisa is a member of the IUCN/SSC-Crocodile Specialist Group and appointed Subregional Chair for Central America and the Caribbean.
Dr Adam Britton
Dr Adam Britton
Dr Adam Britton is a zoologist based in Darwin, northern Australia. He’s worked with saltwater crocodiles for 25 years, and runs the consultancy partnership Big Gecko with his wife Erin. Most of Adam’s work in recent years has focused on solving conflict issues between people and crocodiles, trying to encourage coexistence through collaborative research and skills-based training of community rangers. The CrocBITE project was developed nearly 10 years ago, and uses data collected by people to reduce risk for people living with crocodiles.
Schedule, 5-10 January 2021
| Date | Details |
| November 20, 2020 | Registration Begins |
| December 20, 2020 | Registration Ends |
| Stage 1: Introductory and Training Sessions | |
| January 5, 2021 | Introductory Session: Dhaval Patel (Managing Trustee, VNC) Time: 4:15 PM |
Online Talk - Dr. Raju Vyas (Joint Vice Chairman- IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, South-Asia & Iran) Topic- Crocodiles in India - Status and Conservation Issues Time: 4:30 PM | |
| January 6, 2021 | Online Training Session - Anirudh Vasava (Member, IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group) Topic- Monitoring crocodiles-Tools and Techniques Time: 4:30 PM |
| Stage 2: Special 3-day Croc Watch Event | |
| January 8, 2021* | 1st Day Croc Watch |
Online Guest Lecture - Dr. Marisa Tellez (Co-founder and Executive Director, Crocodile Research Coalition, Belize) Topic- We're All in This Together: Community Science and Crocodile Conservation in Belize. Time: 5:30 PM | |
| January 9, 2021* | 2nd Day Croc Watch |
Online Guest Lecture - Dr. Adam Britton (Senior Research Associate, Charles Darwin University, Australia) Topic- How to Use Crocodile Bites to Save Lives. The CrocBITE Project Time: 5:30 PM | |
| January 10, 2021* | 3rd Day Croc Watch |
*Visit wetlands nearby you, record your crocodile sightings and submit it on the Croc Watch portal | |
| Stage 3: Croc Watch Portal opens for all. | |
| January 11, 2021 | Everyone can register and submit data to the Croc Watch portal. |