Gap analysis in protected area system in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India: Implications for conservation planning

Abstract

The study highlights the gaps in biodiversity representation in a Protected Area (PA) system and its implications for conservation planning in a globally acknowledged biodiversity hotspot – the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. We carried out a gap analysis using data on vegetation types/land use, sea turtle nesting sites and spatial outputs from two biodiversity priority setting methodologies, viz. the Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape Level (BCLL) and the Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The analysis indicates that, out of 17 natural vegetation categories, four do not meet the widely accepted criteria of 10% representation of each type within a PA. Three unique vegetation formations in Nicobar, viz. the syzigium swamps, hilltop grasslands and moist deciduous are not covered under the PA system. Within PAs in Andaman, evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests are represented less compared to their availability. In Nicobar, evergreen forest within PAs has a reasonably high percentage of areas of high biological richness, while all other vegetation types are less protected. Eight out of 19 IBAs are not protected under the PA system. Habitats of four globally threatened, restricted range bird species also do not occur in the PA system. Green Sea and Hawksbill turtle are reasonably well protected. However, Leather Sea and Olive Ridley turtles are poorly protected, particularly in Nicobar. Based on gap analysis, the study puts forward suggestions to make the PA system more representative from a biodiversity conservation standpoint.